Historic Buildings Survey
Phase III
Transitional Area Between
Montezuma Avenue and Main Street
Cortez, Colorado
2015
CLG grant number CO-14-15
Prepared by
Cultural Resource Planning
Jill Seyfarth
PO Box 295
Durango, Colorado 81302
Historic Buildings Survey
Phase III
Transitional Area Between
Montezuma and Main
Cortez, Colorado
2015
Prepared for the
Cortez Historic Preservation Board
The City of Cortez
210 East Main
Cortez, Colorado 81321
Historic Preservation Board
Chairman-Linda Towle
Dale Davidson
Joyce Lawrence
Dan Giannone
Mindy Rosenbaugh
Mitchell Toms
Janet Weeth
Cortez City Staff
Chris Burkett
Dawn McCabe-Lightenburger
Doug Roth
Kirsten Sackett
Prepared by:
Jill Seyfarth
Cultural Resource Planning
PO Box 295
Durango, Colorado 81302
(970) 247-5893
May, 2015
CLG grant number CO-14-015
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1
Background/Purposes
Federal Funding Acknowledgement
Project Description
Summary of Additions to the Work and Report Completed in Previous Phases
Survey Area................................................................................................................... 3
Legal Description
Physical Setting
Research Design and Methods .................................................................................... 7
Survey Methodology
Historic Contexts ......................................................................................................... 11
Revised Historic Contexts
Survey Results ............................................................................................................. 27
History of the Survey Area
Residential/Commercial Buildings
Construction Dates
Architecture
Materials
Montezuma Avenue Historic District ......................................................................... 39
Assessment of Survey Results..................................................................................... 43
National Register Eligibility
State Register Eligibility
Local Register Eligibility
Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 49
Bibliography................................................................................................................. 51
Appendix ...................................................................................................................... 53
Table A1-Previously Recorded Sites Located Near The Survey Area
Table A2-Sites surveyed in Phases I and II
Table A3-Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by street address
Table A4-Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by site number
i
List of Figures
Figure 1 USGS Quad Showing Survey Area ......................................................................... 4
Figure 2 Lot and Block Map Showing Surveyed Properties ................................................ 5
Figure 3 Cortez Townsite Plat Survey Area Outlined ........................................................... 6
Figure 4 Local Historic District Options on Montezuma Avenue ........................................ 42
List of Tables
Table 1
Table 2
Table 3
Table 4
Population of Cortez ............................................................................................. 18
Survey Area Construction Dates ........................................................................... 34
Properties Eligible for the State Register .............................................................. 45
Properties Eligible for the Local Register ............................................................. 48
List of Photographs
Photograph 1 The Montezuma County Courthouse.......................................................... 22
Photograph 2 The Oldest Building in the Survey Area at 27 North Beech ........................ 33
Photographs 3-5 Three Homes from 1900-1916 ................................................................ 33
Photograph 6 Ertel Funeral Home ...................................................................................... 35
Photograph 7 St. Barnabas of the Valley Episcopal Church ............................................... 35
Photograph 8 The Lamb Building ....................................................................................... 36
Photographs 9-10 Warehouses from 1926 and 1942......................................................... 36
Photograph 11 The Former Cortez Medical Clinic .............................................................. 37
Photograph 12 The Former Post Office at 17 North Chestnut ........................................... 37
Photographs 13-14 Bungalows at 34 North Ash and 33 North Chestnut ........................... 38
Photograph 15 Tudor Revival House at 121 North Beech .................................................. 38
Photograph 16 The Mon-Do Title Company ....................................................................... 44
ii
Introduction
Background/Purposes
This project is the third phase of an effort to survey the historic properties within and adjoining
the original Cortez townsite. In the first two phases of the project, the City of Cortez surveyed
the properties along Montezuma Avenue and a few properties located south of the Avenue and
within the original Cortez townsite.
This project addresses the remaining area located between Montezuma Avenue and Main
Street within the original townsite. It is funded by a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant
(#CO-14-015).
The survey results contribute to the knowledge and appreciation of the history of the
development of Cortez. The City will use the survey data to guide future planning, development
and interpretation projects. The project results also provide valuable information for property
owners contemplating restoration or rehabilitation of their historic property.
Federal Funding Acknowledgement
The activity that is the subject of this material has been financed in part with Federal funds
from the National Historic Preservation Act, administered by the National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior for History Colorado. However, the contents and opinions do not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior or History
Colorado, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute an
endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or History Colorado.
This program receives Federal funds from the National Park Service. Regulations of the U.S.
Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental Federallyassisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who
believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated
by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opportunity Program, U.S.
Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240.
Project Description
This survey area is located within the original townsite, in a transitional area between the
primarily residential neighborhood of Montezuma Avenue and the commercial businesses on
Main Street. The area contains a mix of homes, churches and commercial properties. Five
properties within the survey were not recorded because they had been developed within the
past 30 years. Nine other properties within the survey area were documented as part of the
previous, Phase II, survey. A parking lot was also excluded from the survey. Thirty-three survey
forms were completed for the area.
The City of Cortez Historic Preservation Board supervised and coordinated the project under
the direction of the Chair, Linda Towle, and with assistance from Chris Burkett, the Cortez
Grants and Special Projects Coordinator. Jill Seyfarth, the Principal of Cultural Resource
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Planning of Durango, Colorado, contracted with the City of Cortez in March of 2014 and
completed the project in May of 2015.
The History Colorado Office of Historic Preservation staff contacts for this work were Dan
Corson (now retired), Patrick Eidman and Elizabeth (Liz) Blackwell.
New Information in this Report
This report includes new information on the creation of historic contexts for Cortez. The
contexts are discussed in the Research Design and Methods section and in the Historic Contexts
section.
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Survey Area
Legal Description
The cumulative survey area encompasses approximately 14 acres, and encompasses properties
located in parts of 12 blocks. The survey area is located within Section 26 of Township 36 N,
Range 16W, New Mexico Principal Meridian, Cortez, Montezuma County, Colorado. Figures 1
and 2 illustrate the survey area.
Physical Setting
The City of Cortez is located in southwest Colorado in the geographic area known as the
Montezuma Valley, at an elevation of about 6200 feet above sea level. It is situated in a
transitional area between the arid scrublands to the south and the forested montane
environment of the Rocky Mountains to the northeast. The climate is semi-arid, with an
average annual precipitation of about thirteen inches.
In 2010 the census counted 8,482 people in Cortez and 25,535 people in Montezuma County.
Cortez is the county seat and the largest community in the county. The City covers 3,930 acres
or 6.2 square miles. US Highway 160 runs east-west through the middle of town and serves as
the main commercial thoroughfare. The highway bends to the south at the town’s west end
and intersects with the north-south oriented US Highway 491.
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Phase III
survey
area
Figure 1: Survey area on the Cortez, Colorado 7.5 minute U.S.G.S. quadrangle map (1965)
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221
34
35
18
25
44
122
121
Not
Surveyed
27 41
100
30 42
111
101 127
25
20 12
24 44
Parking
Lot
Not
Surveyed
17 33
121
110
208 202
33
114
122
38
236
210
Not
Surveyed
Figure 2: Survey Area parcels with street addresses were included in this survey. Parcels
without addresses were surveyed in Phase II. A list of surveyed sites listed by street address is
included in the Appendix.
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Figure 3: This original Cortez plat was filed in 1886 in La Plata County because Montezuma
County was not created until 1889. The survey area is located within the red outline.
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Research Design and Methods
Research Design
Objectives
The survey’s objectives were to document the history and current condition of identified
properties, to provide a preliminary evaluation of their eligibility for the National Register of
Historic Places, and to determine potential for a historic district within the survey area.
Research focused on gathering historical and architectural data that would help determine the
historic significance of the resource within the context of local, regional and national history.
The resulting data included information specific to the property and identified local influences,
such as economic trends or natural settings.
Previous Work in the Area
A file search requested of History Colorado in June, 2014, revealed 4 sites in the survey area
had previously been documented on state survey forms. They are sites 5MT 6923 through 5MT
6926, which were recorded in 1995. They are all commercial buildings. One of these sites is the
Ertel Funeral Home (5MT6925), which is listed on the National Register. Information from the
old forms was transferred to the current #1403 State Survey form and additional information
was provided. The City of Cortez maintains a historic register. Two properties in this survey
(5MT6924-The Lamb Building/Cortez Cultural Center, and 5MT2914- St. Barnabas Episcopal
Church) are listed on the local register.
The file search indicated that the areas immediately surrounding the survey area include the
sites documented in Phases I and II of this project (conducted between 2011 and 2013) and
forty-six other sites.
Most of the sites recorded prior to 2011 were documented in either 1981 as part of a state
wide cultural resource planning process, or in 1995 by Preservation Partnership as part of a
planning study commissioned by the City of Cortez and partly funded by Preservation Grant
#SHF 1995-M3-050. Of these sites, the Montezuma Valley National Bank and Store Building
(5MT11979 and 5MT19093), and the previously noted Ertel Funeral Home are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Tables listing the recorded sites are included in the Appendix. The recorded sites are all historic
structures related to the establishment and development of Cortez between 1886 and 1950.
They include standing commercial and residential buildings and a remnant of a segment of a
Cortez ditch.
Research Sources
Various books and published material provided histories of the Cortez area. They include The
River of Sorrows; The History of the Lower Dolores River Valley, edited by Gregory D. Kendrick
and A History of Montezuma County, by Ira Freeman. The Montezuma County Historical
Society’s four-volume compendium of local memoirs and biographies provided background. It is
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called Great Sage Plain to Timberline: Our Pioneer History Volumes I-IV. A recent publication
called Cortez is a collaboration of three residents and includes numerous historic photographs.
These sources are listed with additional references in the Bibliography.
Since the survey area was located in a transitional residential/commercial area the project was
anticipated to address residential buildings, churches and some commercial buildings
constructed between 1886 and 1964. An initial windshield review of the resources suggested
that most of the buildings were constructed between 1910 and 1960.
Major archival materials identified for use included:
 County property records
 Local historical society materials
 Locally published informal histories, memoirs and a walking tour brochure
 Historic photographs
 Newspaper archives
 Limited oral interviews
 Information volunteered by the public
 Publicly accessible federal records, including census and social security death indices
 Historical city directories
 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map; only one is available for Cortez and it covers part of the
survey area
Contexts
Historic contexts for the Cortez area are discussed in History Colorado Resources Planning
Protection Process Colorado Plateau Country Historic Context by Michael B. Husband (1984).
This context document, while in serious need of an update, provides general background
information on community development in southwest Colorado. Paul O’Rourke’s Frontier in
Transition, A History of Southwestern Colorado (1980) provides additional historical
background. History Colorado’s updated archaeological context document for the Southern
Colorado River Basin (Lipe et al 1999) is also useful. Full citations for these sources are listed in
the Bibliography.
A local historic context was developed in 1995 for the commercial areas of Cortez by
Preservation Partnership as part of a planning study commissioned by the City of Cortez. The
1995 context document divided the community’s commercial development into four topics,
covering the pioneer era from 1880 to 1920, tourism and transportation from 1906 to the
present, the automobile and city expansion era from 1920 to 1945, and modernism/post World
War II to the present.
The 1995 contexts were focused on commercial development and were not easily applicable to
the first two phases of the current project, which focused primarily on residential properties.
As a result, three general historic contexts were developed in the first two phases of the
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current survey project. They are: Founding and Early Development of Cortez 1886-1899;
Struggles with prosperity 1900-1939; and Vaulting into the modern age 1940-1960.
This third phase of the project has provided additional information to allow for integration and
further refinement of the above mentioned commercial and residential historic contexts.
Refined historic contexts are provided, along with the related developmental history of Cortez,
in the Historic Contexts section of this report.
Survey Methodology
The project began with an introduction to the public. All property owners received a letter
informing them of the survey and inviting them to come to the meeting with any information
they would like to share about the history of their property. The Cortez Historic Preservation
Board hosted the public meeting on June 18, 2014, where Jill Seyfarth gave a short presentation
on the project.
Field survey work was conducted between August and December of 2014, and in January of
2015. Property owners and tenants encountered during the survey were very helpful in
providing whatever information they had about their property.
The survey practices followed the guidelines of the Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Manual.
The project included an intensive survey of all thirty-three properties. The survey area was
drawn on a City of Cortez aerial photo and map. A temporary number was assigned to each
property, which was later assigned a state site number.
Each building was described, photographed, researched, and mapped. Sites were recorded on
Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Architectural Inventory forms and located on USGS
topographic maps (Cortez 7.5 minute quadrangle map 1965). The Colorado Cultural Resource
Survey Manual lexicon table and the Guide to Colorado Architecture defined the architectural
styles assigned to the buildings.
Terms from the Manual’s various lexicons were used
1
whenever required.
Each property was photographed during the field review. All photographs were made from
digital files and are black and white four by six inch prints on true black and white paper.
Photographs were labeled using archivally acceptable foil-backed labels and sleeved as
specified by History Colorado. A photo log accompanied the photographs.
UTM data was produced via a Garmin WAAS-enabled GPS Unit, and verified through the
software program TOPO 2! -National Geographic Society. Site maps incorporated data from the
Cortez GIS database.
1
History Colorado’s survey manuals and guidelines are available online at
http://www.historycolorado.org/oahp/survey-inventory-forms
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This final report explains the survey findings, reviews the general historical development of
Cortez, and discusses any properties considered “field eligible” for the local, state or National
Register of Historic Places. The report and copies of each survey form will be provided to the
Cortez Historic Preservation Board, as well as to History Colorado per the terms of the project
contract. The Cortez Historic Preservation Board will provide each property owner with a copy
of their survey form.
Jill Seyfarth conducted the survey and research. Archival research occurred between June 2014
and February 2015. Research took place in Cortez, Durango and Denver, Colorado. The Cortez
Public Library offered clippings files and locally published histories and memoirs, and historic
maps. The Montezuma County Historical Society provided publications. The Montezuma
County Assessor’s, Treasurer’s and Clerk’s Offices all contained property information. The
research included searches in the Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies, the Denver
Public Library and the Stephen Hart Library (History Colorado) for historic photographs,
business directories and miscellaneous sources.
Janet Weeth generously provided an extensive compilation of data that she had prepared for
other research projects about Cortez. Doug Roth, the G.I.S. Coordinator for the City of Cortez,
prepared and provided base maps for each site. Linda Towle and Chris Burkett ably
administered the process. The project was made so much better as a result of the help from
these individuals.
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Historic Contexts
Contexts
The following contexts divide the developmental history of Cortez into common themes within
a specific time period. They combine the four contexts defined in the 1995 study of Cortez with
the three general historic contexts developed in the first two phases of the current survey
project.
They are:
 Early Settlement and Euro-American Contact: 400 A.D. to 1886
 Founding and Early Development of Cortez: 1886-1904
 Agriculture, Water and Prosperity: 1904-1920
 The Automobile, Mobility and Tourism: 1919-1945
 Vaulting into the Modern Age: 1945-1960
Context 1
Early Settlement and Euro-American Contact: 400 A.D. to 1886
History
Southwest Colorado has a rich and longstanding cultural tradition. The remains of people
attributed to Archaic (beginning around 7500 B.C), subsequent Basketmaker (500 B.C.-750 A.D.)
and Ancestral Puebloan (750-1300 A.D.) traditions have all been identified in the area. Other
Native Americans, Europeans and Americans arrived later. Archaeological findings indicate that
the first Utes to migrate into the Mesa Verde region may have arrived as early as 1300, at
roughly the time the Ancestral Puebloans departed from the area.2 Written historical accounts
indicate the Utes were among the tribes trading with the Spanish in present day New Mexico by
1598.
Spanish explorers came north to the region from Mexico. Juan De Onate brought the earliest
Spanish settlers to the Rio Grande Valley in present day New Mexico in 1598. Between 1761
and 1765, Juan Maria Antonio de Rivera led an expedition from New Mexico on a route toward
present day Delta, Colorado, in search of gold and silver. In 1776, Fathers Dominguez and
Escalante traversed the area in search of a route from Santa Fe to the California missions.
Much of their route later became the Old Spanish Trail, which was used between 1830 and
1840 by Santa Fe traders on their way to California.
Spain relinquished its territories to Mexico in 1821. When the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
ended the United States-Mexican War in 1848, Mexico ceded its northern holdings to the
United States and much of the future state of Colorado became part of the United States.
Cattle men and would-be miners entered this newly opened American territory, but their
efforts were considerably diminished in the 1860s by the Civil War. Those who returned after
2
Lipe, William; Varien, Mark; Wilshusen, Richard. Colorado Prehistory: A Context for the Southern Colorado
River Basin. Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists: Denver, 1999. Page 354.
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the war faced the issue of trespassing. Almost all of the land they wanted was owned by the
Utes. The United States Government aggressively negotiated a series of agreements with the
Utes to further Federal control of lucrative minerals located on Ute land, and to obtain property
for new settlement. In 1874, the Brunot Agreement with the Utes opened land in the
southwestern part of the Colorado territory to non-natives. The scene was set for settlement
and development.
Typical Cultural Resources Illustrating this Context
Since Cortez was not established until the end of this context, and the community has
experienced urban development, it is unlikely that many above-ground physical remains
illustrating this context will be found within the original city limits. Ancestral Puebloan sites
may be found outside of the original townsite. The Hawkins Preserve, for example, is located
within the City limits and contains above ground Ancestral Puebloan architectural features.
Archaeological remains were recently discovered as part of the construction (2013-2014) of the
new Cortez-Montezuma High School.
Context 2
Founding and Early Development of Cortez: 1886-1904
This period covers the years of early settlement and ends with, after many failed attempts, the
delivery of a reliable water supply to Cortez.
History
Although early settlers were already moving to the area, the formal townsite of Cortez was
launched as part of an entrepreneur’s scheme to develop water and land in the Montezuma
Valley. The open country located in the far southwestern corner of Colorado suggested an
opportunity to James W. Hanna. He realized that the vast expanses of land in the arid
Montezuma Valley could be desirable to farmers-and therefore financially lucrative- if he could
somehow provide more water. The Denver-based promoter raised $200,000 in capital to
create the Montezuma Valley Water Supply Company (MVWSC). The Colorado State Archives
records indicate Hanna filed for incorporation on December 11, 1885.3 Principals were listed as:
 Burtis L. Arbecam of Boston who served as president and whose name lives on in Cortez
on Arbecam Street,
 James W. Hanna as Vice President and General Manager,
 Emory S. Turner of New York as Secretary, and
 A.B. Chamberlain of Denver as Treasurer.
The investors planned to build a 5,400 foot long tunnel with siphons and flumes to divert water
from the Dolores River drainage to the Montezuma Valley. The company expected to provide
water to up to 50,000 people and to irrigate 200,000 acres.4
3
Colorado State Archives Records of Incorporations; secondary sources cite an incorporation date of September 16,
1885.
4
Kendrick, Gregory D editor. The River of Sorrows; The History of the Lower Dolores River Valley. Accessed on
line on July 21, 2011 at http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/rmr/river_of_sorrows/index.htm.
United States Department of the Interior, 1981.
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A new town would provide services to the water system workers and a commercial center for
the farmers who would flock to the area. Hanna, the brainchild behind the project, envisioned
a railroad connection that would seal the new community’s prosperous future. In later years,
he lobbied extensively for a railroad connection that never came. But first, he needed to
develop the new townsite. There is some uncertainty about who named the City after Spanish
explorer Hernán Cortéz, but most historical sources credit either Hanna or his water company
with providing the name.5
As the manager of the MVWSC, Hanna went to work to create a city. Using a method quite
common to real estate development at that time, the company capitalized on the generous
provisions of the Homestead Act to acquire land for the townsite. Under the Homestead Act of
1862, a potential settler could file a claim, make certain improvements to the land to establish
that property as a farm or ranch and then receive title without spending any money to
purchase the property. The much-abused Homestead Act often resulted in granting title to
“homesteads” that quickly became townsites when their owners sold the property to real
estate developers.
The MVWSC set up two helpful individuals to file abutting homestead claims of 80 acres each.
Algernon S. Dutton filed on the northern tract. William A. Upchurch claimed the southern tract.
Dutton was a well known pioneer in southwestern Colorado. This project was among the last in
his life. He died in nearby Archuleta County on December 14, 1885, about a year before the
Land Office gave him clear title to the land.6 On the same day as Dutton’s death, the County
Clerk recorded a sale from Dutton’s family to MVWSC president Burtis L. Arbecam.7 Dutton had
signed a power of attorney in 1884 to authorize M.J. Wine to transact the sale of this land, so it
appears that Dutton had anticipated his own death and how it might have affected the future
of Cortez. William A. Upchurch managed to stay alive for the entire process. His 80-acre tract
made up the southern half of the original townsite.
The officers of the MVWSC established the Cortez Land and Investment Company to develop
Cortez and other nearby real estate. Their townsite plat was recorded on December 22, 1886.
M.J. Mack, the civil engineer in the employ of the MVWSC surveyed the original 160 acres and
laid out a townsite designed to maximize the number of salable lots. Streets were oriented in
cardinal directions and consisted of 25-foot- wide lots grouped in 300-foot-long square blocks.
Alleys divided the lots and provided access to the rear of the lot. Eighty-foot-wide street rightsof-ways allowed room for horses and buggies. An unusual factor in the original Cortez layout is
that the town limits ended mid-block, resulting in blocks located on the edge of town with no
side streets. Clearly the founders expected the city to expand.
5
Hall, Frank. History of Colorado Volume 4. Chicago, Illinois: Blakely Printing Company,1895, page 226 and
Freeman, Ira S. A History of Montezuma County. Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Publishing Company, 1958. Page 66.
6
Title was provided on December 9, 1886.
7
Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records COCOAA 020298 and 020309; and obituary
information included in Pagosa Springs Sun article on local history published December 12, 2002; and deed
information available in the Montezuma County Clerk’s Office.
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The town company encouraged commerce on Main Avenue and Market Streets. Montezuma
Avenue, located at the highest elevation in the townsite, was the premiere residential street.
Its 120-foot-wide right-of-way included a central median. The developers envisioned opened
ditches in the tree-lined median carrying water from the MVWSC’s flume to the rest of town. A
ditch was planned for the median in Montezuma Avenue to carry water into the city. While a
flume did eventually reach Montezuma Avenue, the distribution system was never built, but
the tree-lined median remains.
In 1888 the F.R. Coffin’s Addition, also platted by M.J. Mack, expanded Cortez to the east.
Coffin later sold off unplatted portions of homestead to local developers, including C.J. Closson
and the real estate firm of Bozman and Blatchford (see Figure 3). Although most of the land
sold from the homestead was divided into uniform rectangles, the properties were defined by
surveyor’s metes and bounds descriptions, rather than the convenient lot and block division
that is typical within cities. These unplatted parcels left a legacy of lengthy legal descriptions for
the properties located north of Montezuma Avenue and east of Ash Street.
James Hanna filed his own homestead on 80 acres located immediately west of the original
town. Montezuma County records show that in 1888 Hanna and his wife collected at least
$15,000 through their sale of property to the townsite company. The Chamberlin Addition,
constituting land owned by the Cortez Land and Investment Company and containing much of
Frank Thompson’s homestead, expanded the City limits to the south in 1890.
Cortez’s prosperity relied on successful water development. Water made the arid lands
productive, attracting farmers who would support a town. Workers could live in Cortez while
they built the water delivery systems. Without an abundant local water source, Cortez
residents needed the imported water as much as any farmer. While they waited for the flume,
townspeople relied on water hauled in from Mitchell Springs and stored in a cistern.
The water delivery system was plagued with problems. The newly arrived farmers had taken
jobs to build the water system and had no time to prepare their own farms. The MVWSC had
so few customers it could not stay in business. It folded in 1887. The Colorado Water Supply
Company took over between 1888 and 1890. The ongoing struggles of the water delivery
companies affected the town’s progress, but entrepreneurs were not deterred by this
shortcoming. F.M. Goodykoontz started a restaurant before the streets were platted. A post
office opened in 1887. The Montezuma Valley Bank started that same year with $30,000 in
capital provided primarily by founding members of the Montezuma Valley Water Supply
Company.
The book Cortez describes the start up frenzy. “The year 1888 dawned on a population of 300 in
Cortez, including 60 women and 60 school-age children. Seventeen buildings rose above
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boardwalks and tents.”8 By 1888, a collection of over forty established businesses included the
venerable Hotel Clifton, two restaurants, a general mercantile, three pharmacies, a grocery, a
dairy, a sawmill and three laundries, of which one was a Chinese washee. Numerous service
businesses included seamstresses, blacksmiths and attorneys. For a town in such a remote
location with no direct railroad access, Cortez had a remarkably diverse commercial base.
The Cortez School District No. 17 organized and began school on August 1, 1887, in a frame
building located on South Linden. Dave Longenbaugh taught the first classes. By 1890 the new
Cortez District bought two lots on East Montezuma Avenue for $1 and hired renowned local
mason Peter Baxstrom to build a two-story stone school house. He completed the job for
$13,374. The fifth through eighth grade children attended school there while the first through
fourth grade children received instruction at two other locations on Chestnut Street. The high
school children attended school in Mancos until a high school was constructed in Cortez in
1909.
Social activities revolved around the Woodmen of the World Hall. 9 Early dances, school
entertainment, traveling shows, local plays, and exhibits for the Montezuma County Fair were
all held in the Hall.10 The earliest church buildings were the Congregational Church (burned
1930) and the Christian Science Church, which were both built in 1889. John R. Curry, a
newspaper man from Telluride, started the town’s first newspaper, The Montezuma Journal, in
1888. In an optimistic move, construction on a county courthouse began sometime between
1886 and 1888, before legislation actually created Montezuma County in early 1889. Locals
must have been confident that Cortez would best Mancos and Dolores in the election for a
county seat.
The new developers of Cortez may have been a little ahead of themselves. The energetic burst
of the first two years slowed to a lull in activity. Between 1890 and 1900, while the new
county’s population doubled, Cortez’s residents dwindled. Only a few homes had been built in
the new town. A stately stone mercantile building located at the corner of Main and Market
Streets sat unfinished in 1889 and 1890. The courthouse was not completed until 1890. The
bank closed in 1891. The 1897 Cortez school census dropped to 38 students. Disastrous fires in
1898 hampered new development. The prosperous Guillet Brothers owned a flour mill that
caught fire in February of 1898. The next month a fire started in the Hotel Blackmer. With a
limited water supply and no fire department, townspeople watched in horror as the fire spread
through the downtown.
The long- promised flume finally brought water to Cortez on July 4, 1890. The forty-foot-tall
structure carried water three miles from the Cortez Lateral to Montezuma Avenue. Strapped
8
Schwindt, Vila; Janet Weeth and Dale Davidson. Cortez. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2011.
Page 25.
9
Montezuma County Historical Society. Great Sage Plain to Timberline: Our Pioneer History Volume I. Cortez,
Colorado: Montezuma County Historical Society. 2009. Page 127, 145.
10
Southwestern Cowbelles. Pert Near Never Got Nowhere: A Collection of History Compiled by the Southwestern
Cowbelles, Mostly True. Cortez, Colorado:Southwestern Cowbelles, 1979. Page29
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for cash, the water delivery company faltered, reorganized, merged with another company and
reorganized again. It emerged as the Montezuma Land and Water Company in 1894.
Although Cortez greeted the new century with many basic civic services in place, the water
problems persisted. A portion of the flume blew down in 1901. The damage was quickly
repaired, but the locals knew they needed a more reliable water system. At least two attempts
to drill wells had come up dry. Realizing that any solution to their water problem would be
costly, the citizens voted to incorporate the city to be able to sell bonds for the improvement.
Cortez was incorporated on November 10, 1902, with Herman M. Guillet as the mayor. In
1903, thirsty citizens supported a project to install two windmills that pumped water to a
reservoir. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The Mancos Times commented on page 4 of
their May 22, 1903 edition that “….the citizens of Cortez are up and doing. The newest
improvement will be the putting in of a water plant.” When the windmill system quickly proved
insufficient, the city bit the bullet and bonded for a steam powered water pump. On June 3,
1904, the Montezuma Journal rejoiced over the opening of the new water plant in a front page
article under the headline “CORTEZ WATER WORKS; The Long Felt Want”. For the first time in
over two years, the article exclaimed, residents will be able to water their trees and gardens
and the town will have an ample supply of water to fight fires. It appeared that, at least for a
while, Cortez had solved its water problems.
Typical Cultural Resources Illustrating this Context
Very few standing buildings or structures survive from this time period, primarily because of the
frequent catastrophic fires that leveled large parts of town. The rare surviving structures have
been extensively remodeled. The remnant of the first stone schoolhouse that is now a home at
23 East Montezuma Avenue (5MT19949) and the Soens home at 147 East Montezuma Avenue
(5MT19940) are examples of these resources. Other significant resources illustrating this
context include:
 Any resources related to early water delivery systems, such as flume or canal remnants
 Historic neighborhoods illustrating the original formal design plans for parts of the city,
such as the Montezuma Avenue neighborhood with its formal boulevard design
incorporating a median and landscaping treatments.
Context 3
Agriculture, Water and Prosperity: 1904-1920
This time period reflects how, perhaps more than any other time in Cortez, the economy of the
rural areas surrounding the town influenced how the town grew and developed. Successful
farms and ranches, timber development, and the beginning of the oil and gas extraction
industry fueled growth and prosperity in Cortez.
History
While the town grappled with water, new people moved into the Montezuma Valley,
agricultural production improved and Cortez grew. A series of events and activities between
1900 and 1910 in the area around Cortez had significant impacts on the town. Real estate sales
took off in the now-irrigated Montezuma Valley. Farm and orchard land sold for prices between
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$30 and $60 an acre. Those prices were a bargain when compared to similar properties in
other parts of Colorado that cost anywhere between $200 to ten times that per acre. 11 A large
number of the newcomers came from other farming regions in Colorado. Local business
owners Tom Omo, orchard developer and real estate salesman C.J. Closson, entrepreneur and
realtor R.J. Huff and the Grasse family who ran businesses on Main Street all came from Paonia,
Colorado. Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 and opened to the public,
drawing adventurous tourists from all over the world. Oil discoveries in 1909 drew exploration
to nearby Bluff and Aneth.
The Montezuma Valley National Bank, followed by the Cortez National Bank (chartered 1907)
opened in response to the new money flowing into the community. A big fire blazed through
the downtown in September of 1908, burning out the Lamb Mercantile and most of the stores
located immediately west of the stone block at the northwest corner of Main and Market. New
construction replaced those buildings including a new “Brown” hotel to replace the Clifton and
a new mercantile building for the Lambs. In response to the fires, on October 15, 1908, the
Cortez City Council passed ordinances requiring that only brick, stone or cement be used for
new buildings in the designated “fire district” and that bricks be used for flues. This must have
been quite a boon for C.H. Bopp who had just opened Cortez’s first brick works (the Cortez
Brick and Tile Manufacturing Company) in March of that year.
The fire probably also provided the catalyst behind a movement to complete a pressurized
water system. Pressurized water lines were installed between 1907 and 1909, including the
town’s first fire hydrants.
People began to build homes. Between 1900 and 1910, the population of Cortez more than
quadrupled. Social and fraternal groups organized and new systems connected Cortez to the
outside world. In addition to the Congregationalist and Christian Science congregations, issues
of the Montezuma Journal reference Episcopal, Seventh Day Adventists and Baptist services
held in the community during this period. After years of meeting in temporary quarters, the
Methodist Congregation laid a cornerstone for their church at the corner of First and Beech
Street in 1908. The church was finished in 1910. Fraternal and social organizations formed. The
Knights of Pythias (1901) and the Masons (1909) established local chapters. The first county
fair led to creation of the County Fair Association in 1909.
Another social movement also took hold in Cortez. The Anti-Saloon League was working across
the United States to encourage local entities to abolish alcohol. Their fervor carried Cortez and
most of Montezuma County. In the spring election of 1908, Cortez voters passed an anti-saloon
ordinance by a vote of 78 to 44. The City was officially dry by the end of the year, twelve years
before Prohibition was enacted nationwide.
11
Montezuma County Historical Society. Great Sage Plain to Timberline: Our Pioneer History Volume II. Cortez,
Colorado: Montezuma County Historical Society. 2010. Page 85.
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The Cortez Schools experienced explosive growth when the new residents enrolled their
children. The Cortez School District hired local mason Peter Baxstrom to construct a new sixclassroom building for $14,000. The new school opened in 1909; all grades (1-12) were taught
in the school. Hannah Duward, the first woman Cortez Schools Superintendent, oversaw the
construction and the graduation of Cortez’s first four high school graduates in 1909.
In such a remote location and with no rail service, Cortez citizens relied on regular shuttle
service providing rides over the muddy and rough county roads to the railroad station in
Dolores. In 1908 the Bozman Realty Company replaced their old horse-powered rides with an
automobile, employing the first car to come to Cortez. The first telephone connection from
Cortez to Mancos came in 1905 and the in-town Cortez phone system developed between 1905
and 1908.
Prosperity carried forward into the 1910s as local commercial enterprises were established and
expanded. The Montezuma Oil and Development Co. formed in 1910, followed by the
Montezuma Valley Produce Company in 1911. Mills continued to prosper. Two lumber yards
sold building supplies in town. Lumber companies working near Dolores significantly expanded
the region’s timber and agricultural production. In 1911, with the new pressurized water
system, townspeople organized a volunteer fire department. The sheriff, Jim Gawith, was the
chief. Cortez residents also saw their first motion picture in 1911. The school population grew
and the first Parent Teacher Association meeting was held in 1915. Dr. Emil E. Johnson came to
Cortez and established a hospital in 1917. His facility consisted of two cottages located at 301
West Main. Johnson connected the two buildings and offered ten beds.
Table 1 Cortez and Montezuma County
Population Per US Census Data
Year
Cortez
County
1890
332
1,529
1900
125
3,058
1910
565
5,029
1920
541
6,260
1930
921
7,798
1940
1,778
10,463
1950
2,680
9,991
1960
6,764
14,024
1970
6,032
12,952
1980
7,095
16,510
1990
7,280
18,672
2000
7,977
23,830
2010
8,482
25,535
The decade ended in catastrophe as the country struggled through World War I, a deadly
influenza outbreak and more devastating fires. Cortez joined the patriotic fervor that swept the
country during World War I. A number of local men volunteered in 1917-1918 and the women
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organized through the Mesa Verde Chapter of the National League of Women’s Service.
Ongoing donations to the Red Cross and purchases of war bonds came from Cortez. Prices for
food crops began to rise to address shortages in Europe before the United States entered the
war. Demand increased to feed the American troops after the US entry. It was patriotic and
profitable to be a farmer in those days. The war and the decade ended with record high prices
for crops, and the number of farms in Montezuma County ballooned from 261 in 1900 to 904 in
1920.12
Typical Cultural Resources Illustrating this Context
Typical properties reflect the prosperity of the time period in commercial, residential or
social/community buildings. The Montezuma Valley National Bank (5MT19093) and the homes
constructed just to the north of Main Street (such as 143 East North Street-5MT 20234) and on
Montezuma from this time period are examples of these resources.
Context 4
The Automobile, Mobility and Tourism: 1916-1945
This period reflects the tremendous impact of the automobile, the associated impacts from this
new mobility that contributed to the decline in the influences of agriculture, and the role of the
Federal Government in instigating tourism at National Parks and in funding improvements
during the Great Depression.
History
Before the rise of the automobile, and without easy access to a railroad, Cortez struggled to
establish a prominent position in the region. Goods were shipped out from railroad depots in
other towns and the roads to the community were often muddy and rough.
The automobile changed everything. This new contraption was enormously popular
throughout Colorado and the United States. Between 1916 and the early 1920s, the number of
cars in Colorado rose from 15,000 to 300,000.13 New drivers ventured farther than they ever
would in a wagon, and truck freighting competed with the railroads. Roads changed to
accommodate this new form of transportation. Truck transportation eased the freighting
problems of the remote farmers and ranchers. Cortez saw its first freight truck in 1916. The
fuel consumed by the new vehicles dramatically boosted the demand for petroleum products,
expanding a burgeoning oil and gas drilling industry.
In 1919 Colorado voters approved a gasoline tax, which helped fund a newly created State
Highway Department in 1921. Using matching Federal funds, the state poured money into
highway improvements. State and federal road improvement funds opened the region to
tourism and freighting opportunities.
12
O’Rourke, Paul M. Frontiers in Transition: A History of Southwestern Colorado. Denver, Colorado: Bureau of
Land Management, 1982. Page 136.
13
O’Rourke, Paul M. Frontiers in Transition: A History of Southwestern Colorado. Denver, Colorado: Bureau of
Land Management, 1982. Page 162.
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In Cortez, the year 1919 began with a fire on January 2, when the Bozman Garage burned to the
ground. The fire took at least two other buildings and all thirty-two automobiles housed in the
garage. Undaunted, the dealerships brought in more cars.
One of the most significant road projects was The Navajo Trail. In 1920 and 1921, a series of
roads were connected and improved to create a route between Moab, Utah and Gallup, New
Mexico. Supporters of the route realized a valuable promotional point for the highway could
be the short detour from Cortez to Mesa Verde National Park. Cortez business promoters
jumped at the opportunity and joined a committee to promote the road, which was named the
Navajo Trail. The principal towns along the route – Moab, Monticello, Cortez and Gallup –
committed to and succeeded in raising $150 each for route-marking signs, which were
produced in Cortez and installed in early November 1921. The group also published maps and
promotional literature that were distributed through automobile associations nationwide.
Beginning in December 1921, efforts were made to have the Navajo Trail designated as a
federal interstate highway, thereby making it eligible to receive federal funds for
improvements. The Colorado portion quickly received a federal aid designation in early 1922
and improvements between Cortez and Dove Creek were planned for that summer. In 1925,
the route was officially designated U.S. Highway 450. The Durango-Cortez road was also
designated a national highway in 1925. 14
The Cortez economy continued to serve the surrounding farmers, but tourism also grew,
boosted by the newly designated federal highways. The more adventurous motorists travelled
to Mesa Verde and to two other new attractions—Yucca House and Hovenweep (designated in
1919 and 1923 respectively) National Monuments.15 In 1921 Mesa Verde welcomed 3,000
tourists who arrived in 651 cars. In 1933, visitation was up to 16,000 people in 4,000
automobiles. Service stations, auto garages and motels sprang up in Cortez to meet the need.
Cortez welcomed the increased automobile traffic in town and graveled Main Street in 1922.
Concrete sidewalks debuted in 1922 and 1923.
The tourist dollars were particularly helpful during a recession in the early 1920s when post
World War I crop and livestock prices plunged. A number of new people moved into Cortez in
the 1920s, and the percentage of city residents increased. As Cortez grew, so did its number of
school age children. The community responded by adding a gym and additional classrooms to
the school.
Perhaps the most significant improvement to daily life in Cortez in the 1920s was the
installation of a city-wide electrical system. Electricity-generating plants require a steady
supply of fuel—usually in the form of moving water, steam or gas. Lacking a steady source of
any of these elements, Cortez had endured a long wait for large scale electric power.
14
Information on the Navajo Trail from Horn, Jonathon C. Landscape-level History of the Canyons of the Ancients
National Monument. Denver, Colorado: Bureau of Land Management, 1984. Page 29.
15
The State had already cleared Wolf Creek Pass and opened it in 1916 with a single graveled lane ranging from 12
to 16 feet wide.
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Newspaper articles from the Montezuma Journal relate the details of the wait. The Journal’s
1904 joyful report on the new city water works made a hopeful reference to pending electricity,
but no plant emerged. In 1909 Allan Kermode applied to the City for a franchise to construct a
power plant and install a power system in Cortez. Apparently this plan never went forward,
because four years later, the page one headline of the Journal on January 9, 1913, proclaimed
“Proposed Electric Light Plant Before Us. Let’s support it.” Kermode applied for a franchise
again in 1919, when the Journal reported on the application and responded “This has long been
wished for…”16
While they were waiting for a larger scale electricity service, local merchants and residents
could have electrical power if they chose to purchase a small-scale packaged “light plant”,
which consisted of a gas engine powering a belt- driven generator that stored electricity in a
series of batteries. The most popular of these were the Delco brand. The Johnson Hospital had
a Delco Light Plant at least up into the 1920s.
Alternatives to electricity included the natural gas lights system offered by the Standard Gillette
Light Company. The Harrington Drug Store advertised these lights in Cortez in 1909.
It appears the Kermode Franchise reported on in the 1919 paper did not succeed. The first
larger scale light plant was installed in the Mowry flour mill and was started in 1922 or 1923 by
W.J. Bozman, Ed Johnson, A.W. Cowling and John Coleman.17 By 1923, their Cortez Light and
Power Company had installed new street lights and illuminated the county fair.
Local author Ira Freeman noted “This was the feeble beginning of a system for power and light
that was to grow into vastly greater things in the few years just ahead”. 18 The stock market
crash in 1929 marked the beginning of a national depression that gripped Cortez and the rest of
the country. Prices tumbled on everything. In Colorado, prices for hogs dropped from $12.10 in
1929 to $3.10 in 1933. Potatoes plummeted from $1.40 to 24 cents a bushel in that same time.
Many businesses closed. The thirties were a decade for “holding on”
Cortez did not go dormant during this time, but changes were few and carefully developed. The
Highland Utilities Company bought the Cortez power plant along with two other plants in
Montezuma County.
Local cooperatives were formed such as the Cortez Creamery
Cooperative (1931); and local businessman Bill Lichliter took over the Cortez Sale Barn after
W.D. (Bill) Watson started it. A devastating drought in 1934 caused more distress for farmers.
16
Montezuma Journal March 20, 1919.
Freeman, Ira S. A History of Montezuma County. Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Publishing Company, 1958. Page
156.
18
Freeman, Ira S. A History of Montezuma County. Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Publishing Company, 1958. Page
280.
17
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The banks in Cortez closed during the federally mandated bank holiday in 1933 and reopened,
but the Montezuma Valley Bank faltered and eventually closed in 1936. A new bank, the
Citizens State Bank moved into the former Montezuma Valley Bank building that same year.
The city’s population almost doubled in the 1930s as people moved to Cortez in search of work.
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church opened in 1937, replacing their old church that had burned down
in 1919. The Congregational Church, which had also burned down, finished building a new
church. The Cortez School District reported in 1935 that 409 students attended school at a cost
of $45.10 per pupil.
The New Deal stimulus programs injected money into the community through construction
projects at Cortez’s school and throughout town. The Works Progress Administration (WPA)
had a huge presence in Colorado, employing an estimated 150,000 people statewide and
spending more than $120 million in construction.
Photo Source: Ebay listing
Photograph 1: The Montezuma County Courthouse was constructed in 1936 for about $60,000 with half of the
funding from the WPA program.
Throughout the state, the WPA built or improved more than 9,400 miles of roadways and
helped build 1,347 public buildings, 494 schools, 110 parks, 195 playgrounds and athletic fields,
32 wading or swimming pools, 78 utility plants, 279 miles of water distribution pipes and mains
and 224 miles of sanitary and storm sewers in Colorado. WPA projects in Cortez included the
expansion of the school (1935) a new library on Main (1934-35), the town’s first swimming pool
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and the County Courthouse.19 Civil Works Administration funding contributed to an airport
located east of town.
Another federal public works program, the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), brought
improved electric service to the area. The REA was created in 1935 under President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. Provisions of the REA included the development of cooperatives to expand the
reach of electricity in the United States. The Empire Electric Association was the first and only
rural electric cooperative established in Montezuma and Dolores Counties under the REA.
Empire Electric was incorporated in November of 1939 and the cooperative’s first electric line
went live in 1941. Empire bought out its major competitor, Highland Utility, in 1944.
Typical Cultural Resources Illustrating this Context
Typical properties include tourism related businesses, and automobile oriented businesses such
as early car dealerships and service stations. Other important resources illustrating this context
include:
 Depression-era federally funded buildings, such as the County Courthouse.
 Properties associated with Highland Utilities
These properties would need to retain features from before 1945 to reflect this context.
Context 5
Vaulting into the modern age: 1945-1960
This context begins with World War II, and covers the time when Cortez experienced a historic
peak in growth and prosperity, fueled by energy development and post-war prosperity.
History
The pall of the Depression lifted as crops and livestock values began to go up in the early 1940s.
America geared up for World War II and the war efforts employed many who were not serving
in the military. After the war, a major oil strike in 1948, on property located twelve miles west
of Pleasant View, instigated extensive development that continues to today. Significant oil
production in the Aneth area began with wells drilled in early 1956. Although it was located in
Utah, the Aneth Oil Field was accessed through nearby McElmo Canyon and was supplied by
businesses in Cortez.
With unprecedented population growth in the 1950s and a booming economy, Cortez faced a
rosy future only slightly tainted by the challenges of meeting the demands of so many new
residents. Cortez was the service center for oil and gas exploration in nearby Aneth and Dove
Creek, uranium prospecting and tourism development. The Atomic Age had a presence in the
region in the radioactive ore processing facilities located in Blanding and Durango. Construction
for new housing also poured money into the community. The oil and the uranium-related
facilities directed federal money toward building and improving roads in the region.
19
Schwindt, Vila; Janet Weeth and Dale Davidson. Cortez. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2011.
Page 97.
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The changes were evident on Main Street. It was paved in 1951. Other streets were either
graveled or paved in 1953-1954, and the streets north of North Street were paved in 1958. 20
Technology and new businesses arrived from the outside world. While most people came to
Cortez by car, the nearby airport began receiving commercial planes in the 1950s. The first
commercial airline and the first air mail service began in 1949. The first radio station, KVFC,
went on the air in 1955.
New commercial businesses opened in the 1950s. A number of chain stores opened in town,
including Woolworth’s, which opened in 1958. The Johnson Family built the Turquoise Motel
on the site of their old hospital. They opened the 25 unit motel on April 13, 1958 and advertised
as having “Southwest Colorado’s only double deck motel”. The Sands and the El Capri motels
also opened that year. (The neon signs from these two motels are still in place and are listed on
the Cortez Historic Register.) The First National Bank of Cortez opened its third bank in Cortez
on May 29, 1958.
As money came into Cortez, efforts turned to community improvements. In 1948, the
Southwest Community Hospital opened with 30 beds, six doctors and two dentists. A new City
Hall building was completed on Main in 1956, and the Police Department boasted eight people
on its staff. Town residents voted to became a “home rule” city in 1957. The following year, the
Town Council hired a new town manager and created numerous boards authorized under home
rule legislation, including a Planning Board and a Sanitation Board.
Limited housing supply reached a near crisis. The January 9, 1958 Montezuma Valley Journal
reported that 58 homes and 200 rental units were to be built that spring for the acute housing
shortage. The homes were to be located just east and north of Kemper School and all were
planned to have three or more bedrooms and garages. The Journal also noted that an architect,
Bill Nilsen, had moved to town. The Journal believed Nilsen was the first known architect in
Cortez.
Natural gas was piped into town in 1957. Over 1,000 gas taps had been completed by April of
1958. The Cortez Sanitation District, which had incorporated in 1953, oversaw improvements to
central sewer service. It seems that a central sewer system was installed by at least 1942. Plans
for sewer lines in 1942 are on file in the Montezuma County records. Locals remember
outhouses were still pretty common in the 1940s. A water committee worked toward
installation of a new water treatment plant, which was constructed in 1960.
The public schools made radical changes in the 1940s and 1950s. The Cortez School (known as
the Calkins School) became a junior high school in 1946, when Montezuma County High School
opened. Under a mandate from the State of Colorado, the rural schools consolidated into
larger regional schools in the 1950s. New elementary schools opened in Cortez, including
Downey in 1950 and Manaugh, followed by Kemper Elementary in 1958. By 1957 all high school
students in Montezuma County were attending one of the three high schools in the County’s
20
References on this page to activities in 1958 were derived from the 1958 issues of the Montezuma Valley Journal.
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largest towns of Cortez, Dolores and Mancos. The graduating class of 1958 had a record-setting
108 students. The current (Montezuma-Cortez) High School was constructed in 1967 and the
old high school became the middle school. The Calkins School served as an administration
building.
Cortez maintained a role as a service center for local agriculture, but the energy-related sector
and the continually increasing impact of tourism lessened the community’s reliance on farming
and ranching. Symbolic of this shift, the Cortez Sale Barn was moved outside of the city limits in
1959. Flour mills remain in town and small scale farmers markets continue the agriculture
traditions of the community. Energy development and tourism continue to play a significant
role in the town’s future.
The prosperous 1950s allowed the city residents an opportunity to enjoy some leisure time in
the next decades. Citizens approved a $50,000 bond in 1961 to fund a golf course. Cortez
residents of the early 1960s could also look forward to the development of large parks, a new
library and (much later) a new recreation center. Further into the future lay the onset of more
sophisticated tourism marketing facilities, ground breaking archaeological research and in an
ironic nod to James Hanna’s water development company, massive scale water storage and
delivery systems.
Typical Cultural Resources Illustrating this Context
The unprecedented rate of growth and wealth during this time period has left a large legacy of
buildings illustrating this context. They include:
 Buildings constructed with design characteristics common to mid century modern styles
 Public facilities constructed in response to the population explosion, such as the
Downey, Manaugh and Kemper elementary schools, or Cortez City Hall
 Chain stores that have retained character defining features from before 1960s
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James W. Hanna was born in 1843 in Cadiz, Ohio, to A.F. and Susanna Craig Hanna. By
the age of 17, in 1860, he was working as a clerk in Cadiz. A few years later he joined the
11th Regiment of the Ohio Calvary Volunteers during the Civil War, where he attained the
rank of Lieutenant. At the end of the war, he was stationed at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, in
command of Troop L. Hanna might never have lived in Colorado had it not been for a flood
of the Cache LaPoudre River. The rising waters demolished a military post in June of 1864,
and Lieutenant Hanna was assigned the task of locating a new site.
Following the suggestion of Joseph Mason, a local resident, Hanna reestablished Camp
Collins four miles downriver and oversaw the construction of new buildings on the post. On
August 20, 1864, Colonel Collins officially claimed the site as the new military reservation.
The new post was occupied in October 1864 and became known as Fort Collins. The post
was officially abandoned at the end of 1867, leaving Hanna to settle on a nearby farm with
his wife, Anna. They lived on the farm into the 1870s.
By 1880, the Hannas had relocated to Denver, where they raised two boys and two girls.
The census counts from 1880 to 1910 list the Hanna family in Denver, even while they also
maintained a home on part of their homestead in Montezuma County.
James established an influential enough presence
in southwestern Colorado to be elected to the
Colorado House of Representatives. For one week
in January of 1891, he was the Speaker of the
House of Representatives before a controversial
election within the House membership removed
him as Speaker and replaced him with another
representative, Jesse White.
Hanna served in the House from 1891 to 1893.
Hanna made his fortune by investing in livestock,
real estate and mining development in the
mountains near Denver.
He returned to the Montezuma Valley after he had built a successful portfolio of projects. He
died on July 23, 1910 in Denver at the age of 67. His obituary described the cause of death
as dropsy, which was a form of edema.
James W. Hanna’s photograph when he served in the 8th General Assembly of the Colorado
House of Representatives in 1891.
Denver Public Library, Western History Collection; Charles A. Nast; Call No. Z2026
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Survey Results
History of the Survey Area
The survey area is located within the original Cortez townsite, in a transitional residential/
commercial area between Main Street and Montezuma Avenue. The primarily residential
character of the area shifted strongly toward commercial development after World War II.
Development before World War II
A Sanborn Fire Insurance map from 1919 and a city map prepared by John Kroeger in 1923
shows that up until World War II the area was primarily residential in character, with a few
commercial buildings concentrated along Market Street. Two churches were constructed in the
neighborhood before World War II.
Notable residents during this time period include the following people.
Dr. Royal William Calkins came to the Cortez area in 1909 and purchased land at the corner of
Elm and North Streets. Between 1909 and 1932, he developed the lots at 202 West North, 210
West North, 121 North Elm and probably 208 West North Street.
Calkins was born on March 18, 1870, in Jones County, Iowa. He and his three brothers all
became doctors. He graduated from the University of Iowa and practiced in South Dakota.
Calkins married Josephine Caroline Birkey in 1892 and they had a daughter, Charlotte (born in
1897). They divorced, and in 1903 he married Myrtis Chandler. Royal and Myrtis came to
Montezuma County in 1909 with their four-year-old son, William Julian. Calkins set up his
medical practice and Myrtis, a talented vocalist, performed at many concerts and taught music.
They lived in Cortez until about 1912 when they purchased a ranch outside of town. They lived
primarily on the ranch between 1912 and 1918 while Calkins worked as the Indian Agency
Physician for the Utes.
Sometime after 1916 the Calkinses divorced and Myrtis left the area. Dr. Calkins married
Margaret A. McKinley on April 20, 1918 in San Juan County, Utah. They had a daughter,
Margaret Lorilla, in 1919. By the 1920 census, the Calkins family included Royal and Margaret
and his son, William Julian; her 14-year-old daughter, Verna Black; and their 5-month-old
daughter, Margaret Lorilla. Dr. and Mrs. Calkins moved to a new house at 121 N Elm in about
1930.
Calkins practiced medicine until a heart attack in 1957 forced him into retirement. He was a
beloved doctor in the community. During the influenza epidemic in 1918, he took over and
successfully treated 462 people when the other doctor in Cortez became ill. He was active in
many community organizations and served on the school board. A member of the Republican
Party, he served in the Colorado State Legislature from 1920 to 1931 and was the Speaker of
the House of Representatives from 1929 to 1931. The Cortez School Board named the Calkins
School Building for him in 1950. Royal died in 1961 and Margaret died in 1966.
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Another prominent Cortez doctor, Dr. Emil Enander Johnson and his wife Virginia Norman
“Jimmy” Johnson lived in the house at 34 North Ash Street after it was constructed in 1935.
Johnson came to Cortez and established the town’s first and only hospital in 1917. He and his
wife lived at the hospital, but they may also have had a residence here. Long time residents of
Cortez remember being allowed to play in the play house at the rear of the lot. The Johnsons
moved to Santa Monica, California in 1940, where he died in 1943, but the house remained in
the family. (Virginia lived until 1986.) Their daughter, Ingrid, lived there with her husband J.W.
Hartley. The house remained in the Johnson family until Dr. Johnson’s daughter, Ingrid Hartley,
died in 2007. The house is illustrated in Photograph 15.
John Henry “Pops” Farmer built and lived in the house at 41 North Beech Street. Farmer was
born in Virginia. He moved to Montezuma County from the area near Holly, Colorado, with his
wife, Mayme, and their son, Leonard, between 1910 and 1913. In 1913, he filed a homestead
entry on land outside Cortez. He and Mayme divorced (between 1917 and 1920) and he
married Bessie Case in Cortez on April 29, 1920. Bessie died in 1922. By 1922, John had
received a pharmacist license and by 1929 he was operating the Famer Drug Store in Cortez. He
built the house in 1933. He owned the Farmer Drug Store on Main Street (which became the
Farmer’s Pharmacy in the early 1950s) until his death in 1956. (Farmer’s house is illustrated in
Table 4.)
Joe McClure and his wife, Clara, are historically associated with the house (constructed 1908)
at 35 North Ash (see Photograph 4).21 McClure worked as a rancher and stockman in the
McElmo canyon area and had a home in Cortez. He had an automobile dealership and his
inventory included Case automobiles which were made between 1911 and 1926. He is listed in
the Cortez directories at this residence until 1941.
Minnie Johnson is historically associated with the house (constructed 1927) at 33 North
Chestnut. Minnie was an active woman. The 1904 Mancos Times paper included
advertisements stating she was closing her photography business. She was listed in the 1911
Cortez directory as the wife of attorney Charles Johnson, but he may have died by the time she
is listed by herself in the Cortez 1915 directory. She opened a bakery in Cortez in 1913, and she
was an employee of the post office from at least 1917.22 By 1920, she was the postmistress. She
may have been the postmistress when this home was built. Originally constructed as a single
family residence, the building is now used for professional offices (see Photograph 14).
Opal and Jimmy Bertwell lived in the house (constructed 1937) at 121 North Beech (see
Photograph 15). He moved to Cortez from Compton, California in 1933 to join his father who
had previously moved to Cortez. He married Opal Marsell in 1934 and it appears they lived
much of their married lives at this address. Opal died in 2003. Her obituary noted that in the
1940s, Opal played the piano in an all-girls band that performed at dances. She was a member
of the Methodist Church, and the Elks Emblem Club. Jimmy was a livestock dealer and the
21
22
Walking Along First and Ash Streets Walking Tour provided by the Cortez Historic Preservation Board. No date.
Montezuma Journal, May 5, 1913 .
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owner of the Cortez Packing Company. He also owned the local Ford garage, which he and
business partners sold to Keesee Motors in 1976. Jimmy was a lifetime Charter Member of the
Cortez Elks Lodge #1789. He also served the community as a City Councilman from 1950-1958.
He died in 2011.
The two churches constructed during this time period represent a newly formed congregation
and a very traditional one.
The building at 44 North Chestnut was constructed in 1927-1928 for the Congregational Church
of the Foursquare Gospel. The Foursquare Gospel movement was begun in Los Angeles in
1923. The church provides the following history from their website: The Foursquare Church,
officially named the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, is a Pentecostal
denomination that resulted from the dynamic evangelistic ministry of Aimee Semple McPherson,
who opened the historic Angelus Temple on Jan. 1, 1923…. The term "Foursquare Gospel" came
about during an intense revival in the city of Oakland, Calif., in July 1922… The first “branch”
church from Angelus Temple had its beginnings in Oct. 1923 in Long Beach, Calif. Other Los
Angeles-area church plants rapidly ensued in Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Santa Ana; all four
churches are still open today.23
A recent book about the history of the movement notes that the Correll family was one of the
first families to expand the movement beyond California by establishing churches in their home
state of Colorado. The Corrells established churches in Cortez and in three other Colorado
towns in 1927.24 It appears the church operated in this location into the 1970s, when the
property was converted into accountant’s offices.
The St. Barnabas of the Valley Episcopal Church at 110 West North Street was constructed in
1937. The Members of the Episcopal Church met in private homes for many years before local
congregants organized to build a church. The Montezuma Journal newspaper includes news
items dating back to 1901 that note various locations where Episcopal services were held,
including the County Courthouse (per the 6-14-1901 issue). By 1908 it appears that services
were often held at the Congregational Church and by 1915 at the Methodist Church. Different
visiting clergy performed services. Beatrice Burke and Clara Blatchford purchased land for a
church some time near 1900. A news item in the September 2, 1909, Montezuma Journal notes
that Mrs. Calkins was going to give a concert and the proceeds from the concert would help pay
for the church lots. In 1935, the Church organized and received authorization to build a church
in 1936. Colorado Bishop Johnson pledged the Episcopal Church would match local fundraisers
for half of the cost of construction. The Church was officially dedicated by Bishop Ingley on June
20, 1937. Reverend Samel A. McPhetres was the pastor in 1937. He was also the pastor at the
Durango and Mancos churches. Seminarian Dudley Bruce conducted services in 1938. Young
people in Cortez were active in fundraising and even helped dig the foundation for the church’s
23
www.foursquare.org accessed August 2014
Van Cleave, Nathaniel M. The Vine and the Branches: A History of the International Church of the Foursquare
Gospel. Creation House Publishing: Lake Mary, Florida, 2014.
24
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social hall, because they wanted a place for socials and dances. Their efforts paid off in the form
of what is now called Mary Blake Hall.25
The commercial buildings constructed before World War II were located primarily along Market
Street. They include:
 The Lamb Building (5MT6924) at 25 North Market, built in 1909
 The Mexirado Distributing Building (5MT6926) at 101 North Market, built in 1926
 The Cortez Creamery (5MT6923) at 24 North Chestnut, built in 1931
 The Ertel Funeral Home (5MT6925) at 42 North Market, built in 1936 to replace the
older mortuary building
 The Empire Electric Building (5MT21927; which did not house Empire Electric until after
World War II) at 127 North Market, built in 1938
The Lamb Building is illustrated in Photograph 8. Edward R. and Mary A. Lamb constructed this
building to house their mercantile in 1909. The building featured a fire-proof cast iron
storefront and steam heat and cost $7,000 to build. The Lamb Mercantile carried a wide variety
of merchandise including furniture, millinery, drugs, paints, building materials and general
merchandise. The Lambs came to Cortez in 1887 from Wisconsin. Although he was not a doctor,
Mr. Lamb served as the Agency Physician to the Ute Indians at Navajo Springs from 19011905.26 Mrs. Lamb was a seamstress and a hat maker. She was the first reader in the Christian
Science Church in Cortez. Mr. Lamb was a bank officer and served as the mayor of Cortez in
1908. Edwin Lamb died in 1918. Mary Lamb sold the business to Walter Lipscomb in about
1919. Lipscomb sold to Walter J. and Caroline Moffitt, who moved their pharmacy business into
the building in the early 1920s. A subsequent owner was Dr. Emil E Johnson, who sold the
building to Jim Barrett in 1928. The building housed Barrett Furniture until at least 1950. Mr.
Barrett remodeled the upstairs into six apartments and for many years the building was known
as the Barrett Building. The 1958 Cortez Phone Directory lists Harp’s Furniture in the building.
Harp’s remained in the building until 1962. In the 1960s, Rich’s Town Shoppe was in the
building. The Cortez Cultural Center was established here in 1986.
The Mexirado Distributing Building is illustrated in Photograph 9. Built in 1926 by Bill Lenz, the
building was advertised in the local paper in July 1927 as the “Ute Mountain Garage, Agent for
Star & Buick, only fire proof garage in Montezuma Valley, storage day and night”. According to
the Downtown Cortez Walking Tour, “The Lenzes lived in the front of the building in a small
apartment and the agency was in the back.” They moved out of this building and into a home
that Bill constructed at 45 East Montezuma Avenue in about 1932. Beginning in about 1932 the
building housed the Mexirado Distributing Company, which distributed Sinclair Oil and later
Conoco Oil products. The original agent was H.L. (Hayward Landon) Bigler. Born in Illinois in
1903, H.L. Bigler worked in oil development in Montezuma, ending up in Cortez by 1932 with
his wife Eloise and their three children. He is listed as the manager of the Mexirado Distributing
25
The History of Montezuma County by Ira Freeman says the Episcopal Church burned down in April 1919. A
review of the newspapers in March, April and May of 1919 did not find any references to this incident.
26
Montezuma Journal March 30, 1906
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Company in city directories up until 1950 and then as the manager of the Continental Oil
Company Distributing agency at the same address in the 1950s. He is listed in the 1938 Who’s
Who in Colorado. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1961. James and Cleo Harp, who were in the
furniture and moving business, purchased the property in 1962 and subsequently sold it to the
Ertel family in about 1993.
The Cortez Creamery opened at 24 North Chestnut on September 7, 1931. T.P. Kuhre was the
manager and Walter Carpenter operated the plant. A creamery operated at this location
through the 1970s under various names, including: Montezuma Creamery Association in the
1930s and 1940s, the Sunfreeze Creamery with O.E.Miller as the manager in the first half of the
1950s and the Arden Meadow Gold Creamery in the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s.
Beginning in 1978, the property passed to a variety of owners for short terms of ownership
until it was acquired by the Grace Fellowship Evangelical Free Church in 2005.
The Ertel Funeral Home is illustrated in Photograph 6. J. Walter Ertel purchased the Ames and
Omo Funeral Homes of Dolores, Mancos, and Cortez in 1921. In 1933 Ertel consolidated the
three funeral homes in an old two-story frame building on the site of the present funeral home.
Walter H. Simon drew up plans for a new building in August 1935 and construction began that
same year. W. G. Clever, assisted by W. H. Goodhall, had general charge of construction; J. E.
Barrett did the painting and decorating; and Olsie Harris installed the plumbing and heating. On
January 26, 1936, the Ertels and the Cortez community celebrated the opening of the new
facility. Three generations of Ertels have owned and operated the Ertel Funeral Home: J. Walter
Ertel from 1921-1956; Walter E. Ertel (son) from 1956-1992; and Keenan G. Ertel (grandson)
from 1993 to the present.
Development After World War II
An influx of cash from the booming oil and gas industry contributed to unprecedented growth
and economic prosperity in Cortez and is evident in the numerous construction projects
launched after World War II. A number of public and commercial buildings, including churches,
medical clinics and government offices, were constructed in the area between 1945 and 1965.
Many new commercial buildings either replaced older homes or adapted an existing residential
structure to a non-residential use, resulting in a shift to a more commercial character in the
area reflected by the current mix of newer commercial and older converted residential
structures. Warehouses, medical offices/clinics, professional offices and one church make up
the buildings from this time period. The following buildings are the strongest representations of
the properties included in the survey.
The Cortez Baptist Church (100 North Market) was constructed in response to Cortez’s growing
population. The Baptist Congregation organized in 1933 but construction of the current building
did not begin until 15 years later. The congregation met at D.B. Wood’s home until 1936, when
they purchased a former Presbyterian church for $500 at the site of the current Baptist Church.
In 1947, the Church purchased an adjacent lot to the north and initiated construction of a
church basement, which was completed and dedicated on February 1, 1948. Services were held
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in the basement until overcrowding led the congregation to build the present church over the
basement. The church was completed and the first service was held on Easter Sunday, April 7,
1957. A two-story education wing was added between 1977 and 1981.
The Empire Electric Building (127 North Market) was constructed in 1938 by local business
man, W.T. Bozman. It was used for commercial purposes, and was occupied by the Empire
Electric Association after World War II. By 1950, the building housed the administrative offices
of the Association. The electricity cooperative was incorporated in November of 1939. Empire’s
first electric line went live in 1941 and the Association bought out its major competitor,
Highland Utility, in 1944. Empire still provides electricity to southwest Colorado and southeast
Utah including Cortez. In 1959, Empire Electric constructed a new building and by 1960, the
Electric Association offices had moved to the new location.
Growth also led to the construction of the U.S. Post Office in 1952 at 17 North Chestnut Street
(see Photograph 12). The Postmaster was Floyd Bradfield. When he retired in November of
1956, there were 1220 lock post office boxes and nine full time employees. In 1959 the Post
Office moved to 35 South Beech.
An influx of people brought a number of professionals to the area. The Cortez Medical Clinic at
33 North Elm, was constructed in 1956 by three doctors Paul Donesky, V.E. Gardner and Clifford
Earl Parmley at a cost of $125,000. It had 64 offices and housed the three doctors, a dental
clinic, a pharmacy, physical therapy, a lab and an X-ray room. The pharmacist was Robert
Maynes. It is pictured in Photograph 11.
Two dentists, Dwain R. Love and David Roberts, practiced in the new building constructed at
236 West North Street in 1959 (see Photograph 16). This professional office building now
houses a title insurance company.
Sam and Grace Merlo, came to Cortez after World War II and owned the property at 202 West
North and 208 West North (Photographs 3 and 5). Merlo was born February 9, 1922 in
Nazareth, Penn. He joined the United States Army Air Corps in January 1940, at the age of 18.
Stationed at Grafton-Underwood in England during World War II, he flew 23 combat missions in
B-17s over Germany with the 384th Bomb Group. On the 24th mission, his plane was shot
down on April 13, 1944, south of Frankfort. He and his surviving crewmates were captured and
became prisoners of war in Germany in Stalag III, the same camp where the "Great Escape"
took place. Ultimately, he and his fellow prisoners were liberated by General Patton's armed
forces in May 1945. During his service, he received two Purple Hearts. He was retired from the
Air Corps on January 13, 1946. He practiced law in Cortez from 1955 until 1995. Grace was
appointed the 22nd Judicial District Court Judge in 1987. Both of them officially retired in 1995.
At the time of his death in 2010, he held the rank of Captain. Grace still lives in Cortez.
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Construction Dates
This area was part of the earliest development of Cortez, but no buildings survive from the
1880s, as early residences were eventually replaced by newer homes or commercial buildings.
Construction dates for the surveyed properties ranged from 1900 up to the 1960s. The oldest
building in the survey area is a house that was constructed in 1900 at 27 North Beech Street
(5MT21923).
Photograph 2: The oldest building in the survey is the home at 27 North Beech, built about 1900.
The other three houses that were constructed in the early 1900s have been converted to
offices. They are 202 West North Street (5MT21915) constructed in 1907, 35 North Ash Street
(5MT21920) constructed in 1908, and 208 West North Street (5MT21916) constructed in 1916.
One commercial building, the former Lamb Mercantile (5MT6924; now known as the Cortez
Cultural Center) was constructed in 1909.
Photographs 3-5: 202 West North Street, 35 North Ash Street and 208 West North Street were the other residences constructed
between 1900 and 1916 that survive today. All have been adapted to commercial uses.
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Twelve residences, two churches and five commercial buildings were constructed between
1920 and 1945. Three of the 12 residences have since been
converted to commercial uses.
Table 2 Survey Area
Construction Dates
Era
# Notable commercial construction from this time period
1866-1899
0 includes the “Mexirado” stone warehouse (5MT6926) at 100
1900-1919
5 North Market which is so named for its association with the
1920-1945
19 Mexirado Distributing Company, and the Ertel Funeral Home
1945-1964
9 (5MT6925) constructed at 42 North Market to replace an
older facility.
Total
33
After World War II, the area evolved into a more commercial
neighborhood with the construction of one church and eight commercial buildings. The
commercial buildings reflect the burgeoning economy brought about by the booming energy
extraction industry and explosive population growth in Cortez during this time.
Architectural Styles and Building Forms
The History Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation typology for architectural
styles and building types was used to classify the structures in the survey.
Given the mix of residential, churches and commercial uses in the survey area, it is not
surprising that the survey recorded a range of architectural styles and building forms including a
mix of bungalows, commercial buildings, warehouses and professional buildings with modernist
movement influences. The more notable buildings and building styles are discussed below.
Mission Revival Style
The Mission Revival Style is characterized by architectural elements similar to those used on the
Spanish Mission Churches in the Southwestern United States. Common elements include a
curvilinear-shaped gable wall low parapet wall rising above the roofline, smooth stuccoed or
plastered walls devoid of ornamentation, tile roofs and semicircular arched windows, entries or
arcades. A small round window or ornament may appear in the center of the gable. Roofs may
have overhanging eaves with exposed rafters.
The Ertel Funeral Home (5MT6925) at 42 North Market was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1995. It was constructed in 1936 and is listed to recognize its architectural
importance as an excellent example of the Mission Style.
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Photo 6: The Ertel Funeral Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an excellent example of the Mission
Revival Style in Cortez
St Barnabas of the Valley Episcopal Church (5MT21914) at 110 West North Street was
constructed in 1937, a year after the Ertel Funeral Home. It was also constructed in the Mission
Style and the trowel-finished stucco on the building suggests it may have been constructed by
the same contractors who built the nearby Ertel Funeral Home.
Photograph 7: St Barnabas of the Valley Episcopal Church
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Late 19thCentury Commercial and 20th Century Commercial
The Lamb Building (5MT6924) at 25 North Market
Street was constructed in 1909. While the first floor
and sides of the building no longer retain the original
historic configuration, the building still offers a hint
of the typical late 19th century commercial building
designs, which are typically two or three stories in
height, with a flat roof and a variety of ornamental
detailing. The first floor of the Lamb Building no
longer retains any of its original architectural
features, but the second story has a few of the
elements typical of the style, including the historic
Photograph 8: The Lamb Building
cast iron facade with an elaborate roofline cornice and an ornate secondary cornice separating
the two stories. The pressed iron storefront on the upper floor of the building would have been
shipped to Cortez from a factory in the Midwest.
Representations of the 20th century commercial warehouses in this survey span the first half of
the century, including the Mexirado Distributing Company Warehouse (5MT6926) at 100 North
Market. This building was constructed in 1926 and incorporates local sandstone. Fifteen years
later, just around the corner from the Mexirado, the warehouse took on a new form as seen at
12 West North Street (5MT21911), constructed of concrete block in 1942.
Photograph 9: 1926 Mexirado Distributing Warehouse
Photograph 10: 1942 Warehouse
Post World War II and Modernism Influences
Six buildings constructed in the 1950s all illustrate some influence of modernism such as an
emphasis on rectangular forms and on horizontal and vertical lines; a lack of ornamentation;
projecting flat canopies and the use of contemporary materials including concrete, glass, and
steel. Modest examples in this survey are the Cortez Medical Clinic (now known as the
Southwest Memorial Community Health Clinic, site 5MT21931) which was built in 1956 at 33
Elm Street and the former Cortez post office (5MT21928) constructed in 1952 at 17 North
Chestnut.
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Photograph 11: The Former Cortez Medical Clinic
Photograph 12: The former post office at 17 North Chestnut
Residential Properties
The survey area includes 16 buildings that were originally constructed as single family homes.
The houses were constructed between 1900 and 1937. Ten of these buildings appear to still
function as homes, while the other buildings have been adapted to commercial uses. Generally,
they are modest single story, gable-roofed homes.
Bungalow Form
Seven houses have bungalow forms. Many versions of these one or one-and-a- half story
homes with large front porches, and broad tapered porch columns were built throughout the
Cortez between 1900 and 1940.
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Photographs 13 and 14: Bungalows at 34 North Ash (left) and 33 North Chestnut (right)
Tudor Revival
One house was constructed in the Tudor Revival style which is characterized by steep rooflines,
exterior texturing, through the use of brick, stone, or stucco, and decorated chimney detailing.
This house has interesting character-defining features, including decorative brickwork with tabs
and quoin-like effects, small arched entries, and a brick exterior-chimney with chimney pots
placed at the gable end wall.
Photograph 15: Tudor Revival House at 121 North Beech
Materials
Most of the houses in the survey have either wood or stucco finishes. Commercial buildings
were constructed of a range of materials including concrete block, stone and frame with stucco
finishes.
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Montezuma Avenue Historic District
A portion for the funding of this grant included discussion for the creation of a locally
designated historic district on Montezuma Avenue, based on the results of the two previous
surveys.
A locally designated historic district on Montezuma would be significant for its historic
landscape setting that reflects the historic theme of the establishment and development of a
planned, distinctive neighborhood in Cortez. This landscape was established when the town
was platted in 1886, and remains in place today.
Preserved historic landscape characteristics include:
 Median--The median runs the length of potential district. It is a uniform width and
length in each block, is defined by a standing concrete curb and is planted with grass
and a formal, linear, arrangement of trees. Most of the trees are large and mature. They
are replaced by young small trees when they sicken or die, so a few of the medians
have a mix of small and large trees. The median divides the east and west bound traffic
lanes of Montezuma Avenue. It is listed as a landmark on the local Cortez Historic
Register.
 Street/Public Right-of-Way Improvements—The public right of way has a formal
landscape treatment. All properties fronting onto Montezuma Avenue abut a strip of
right-of- way that contains a sidewalk, a landscape area and standing concrete curb. In
six of the blocks between Linden and Ash, the sidewalk is separated from the curb by a
landscape strip. In three of the blocks, the sidewalk is attached to the curb and has
landscaping (such as trees or bushes) located between the sidewalk and property line.
 Lot Orientation/Landscaping—The lots are rectangular and are oriented with the short
ends fronting on Montezuma Avenue. Alleys border the rear of most of the parcels.
Buildings adhere to a uniform setback from the street and include a landscaped front
yard (which is either a grass lawn or xeriscaped) with a hard surface walk way
connecting the front door to the public sidewalk.
 Building Placement/Orientation---The front of most buildings face Montezuma Avenue.
Accessory sheds and garages are located in the rear part of lots. About 1/3 of the lots
have driveways from Montezuma Avenue. The buildings that do not front on
Montezuma Avenue are located on corners and have front doors facing the side street.
They usually have the same setback from Montezuma as the other buildings.
 A park - located within the district was established as part of the early development of
the street and remains today.
The architecture and the land use within the district support this historic landscape but they are
not the most important elements in the establishment of the historic landscape theme.
The neighborhood contains an eclectic mix of modestly scaled local interpretations of
architectural styles from the early and mid 20th century. The design, scale and materials
reflect periods of development in Cortez history, including a number of craftsman-influenced
bungalow forms reflecting a period of prosperity in the 1910s and 1920s, and infill of minimal
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traditional style and ranch forms in response to explosive population growth after World War II.
Purposefully constructed commercial buildings exhibit a variant of Pueblo-style architecture,
with flat roofs and stucco finishes.
Property owners and residents were invited to two meeting to discuss a potential district.
These meetings were held in September of 2014 and February 2015. At these meetings
participants discussed three options for a historic district that were prepared by the consultant,
Jill Seyfarth.
Options for District Boundaries:
The three options are illustrated in the map in Figure 4. The north and south boundaries for all
options would be the alleys abutting the north and south property lines of the lots that front
onto Montezuma Avenue. The lot at 101 East Montezuma has been subdivided, so the south
boundary at this point would remain on the alley just south of that lot. The median is included
as one parcel within the parcel totals.
Option A-Within the original townsite:
The west end would be Chestnut Street on the north side of Montezuma. On the south side of
Montezuma the west end would extend to the west side of the vacant parcel abutting the west
side of the park (the park fronts onto Market Street). The west end boundaries reflect the
point where modern alterations have changed the streetscape. On the north side of
Montezuma, an office complex has replaced the historic building orientation, layout and land
use. The east end would be half way between Ash and Washington Streets, reflecting the
original east boundary of the original 1886 Cortez Townsite.
Total number of parcels within this option =33 (70 % = 23.1 approvals)
Option B- Slightly larger than the original townsite:
This option would use the same west boundary as described above in Option A, but would
extend to the east to Washington Street to provide an easy-to-visualize east boundary.
Total number of parcels =38 (70% approval = 26.6)
Option C-Original townsite plus Coffins Addition:
The west boundary would be the same as described in Options A and B. The east boundary
would be at Harrison Street, reflecting the point on the north side of Montezuma where the
concentration of unaltered historic buildings drops off and on the south side of Montezuma
where the City Market parking lot intrudes.
Total number of parcels per the map=55 (70% approval is 38.5 owners)
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Pros and Cons of the Options
All options:
The west boundary is the same for all options because it clearly delineates a change in the
residential and historic character of the street in terms of both landscaping features and
buildings. Unfortunately, the boundary eliminates the house at 146 West Montezuma, which is
historically significant for its architecture. This house is, however, listed as a separate landmark.
Options A and B:
These options reflect the original platting of Cortez and contain a concentration of homes
constructed before World War II. Options A and B have the highest concentrations of
contributing properties. Option B simplifies the physical outline of the district, but it does
extend a little bit beyond the original townsite into the Coffins Addition which was platted two
years later, in 1888.
Option C:
This option includes properties that were developed after World War II. It incorporates a
larger number of buildings that have been substantially altered from their historic appearance,
resulting in a lower concentration of contributing buildings.
District Nomination
The Cortez Historic Preservation Ordinance requires 70% approval of the property owners
within the proposed district agree to the creation of the district. As of the completion of this
report, almost 70% of the property owners have responded in favor of option A and the Cortez
Historic Preservation Board is in the process of preparing a nomination to create this district.
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Figure 4: Historic District Options
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Assessment of Survey Results
A summary of all of the surveyed sites and their recommended eligibility for the local, state and
national registers is provided in the Appendix in Tables A3 and A4.
National Register Eligibility
As discussed previously, one property, the Ertel Funeral Home, is already listed on the National
Register. It is also listed on the State historic register. The survey indicated one additional
individual property might be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It is the MonDo Title Company (site # 5MT21917) located at 236 West North Street.
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 created the National Register of Historic Places.
Placement on the National Register is an honorary designation. Criteria for National Register
eligibility are set forth in Title 36, Part 60, of the Code of Federal Regulations.
A property must meet one of the following criteria:
A. Be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of our history; or
B. Be associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or
C. Embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or
represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic values, or represent a significant
and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or
D. Have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
The National Register qualifying criteria also states:
Ordinarily cemeteries, birthplaces, graves of historical figures, properties owned by religious
institutions or used for religious purposes, structures that have been moved from their original
locations, reconstructed historic buildings, properties primarily commemorative in nature, and
properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered.
Of course, there are exceptions to this last qualifying statement. Religious institutions, for
instance, are often considered for their architectural merit.
A property listed on the National Register must also still have it’s historic integrity, which is
defined as a clear visual representation of how the property looked during the time it was
historically important. The National Register includes the following seven considerations to be
used in assessing the site’s historic integrity.
Location-is the resource in its original location?
Design-are the character defining aspects of the original design clearly evident?
Setting-do the surroundings complement or detract from the sense of the historic
setting?
Materials-are the original materials still intact? If original materials have been replaced,
are the replacement materials similar in texture, proportion and finish to the original?
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 43
Workmanship-are the original evidences of workmanship (such as trim and detailing)
still on the structure?
Feeling-does the resource convey the same sense it did historically?
Association-can the resource still be logically associated with the significant historic
event, person or trend?
Historic properties must retain enough of these seven qualities to convey a sense of their
historic significance to be eligible for listing in the National Register.
The sole property identified as potentially eligible for the National Register is the Mon-Do Title
Company (site # 5MT21917) located at 236 West North Street.
Photograph 16: Mon-Do Title Company
The property is significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as the best example in Cortez of
the Modern Movement architectural design on a commercial building. Built in 1959, this long, low
building with broad roof overhangs and exposed beams evokes the popular Ranch form of residential
architecture of the 1950s and 1960s. It incorporates generous use of glass and natural light with floor to
ceiling glass windows. Colored panels, exposed metal window sashes, and simple panels of brick add to
the modern design. The period of significance is 1959, which is the construction date of the building.
State Register
In addition to the Mon-Do Title Company Building, which is eligible for the National Register,
two properties in this survey might be considered eligible for the Colorado State Register.
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 44
The Colorado General Assembly established the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
by statute in 1975. The State Register became an active program in 1991. The State Register
program is administered by the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) within
History Colorado. Properties that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places are
automatically placed in the State Register. Properties may also be nominated separately to the
State Register without inclusion in the National Register.
The State Register listing criteria is as follows:
Significance in history, architecture, archeology, and culture is present in buildings, sites,
structures, objects, districts, and areas that possess integrity of location, setting, design,
materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and that meet one or more of
the following criteria:
A. The property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to
history; or
B. The property is connected with persons significant in history; or
C. The property has distinctive characteristics of a type, period, method of construction
or artisan; or
D. The property has geographic importance; or
E. The property contains the possibility of important discoveries related to prehistory or
history.
Table 3: Properties identified as potentially eligible for the state register in this survey
Built in 1926, this
The period of
Mexirado
warehouse
could
be
significance
Distributing
eligible under
includes the time
Company
Criterion
A
in
the
area
when the building
Warehouse
of Commerce for its
was a
at 101 North
long term association
distributorship for
Market, site #
with the retail aspect
oil companies.
5MT6926
of the oil and gas
between 1932 and
St. Barnabas of
the Valley
Episcopal
Church at 110
West North
Street, site
#5MT21914
Cortez Survey Phase III
industry in Cortez.
The property could be
considered for
significance under
Criterion C in the area
of Architecture as a
very good example of
the Mission Revival
style. It is the best
known example of this
style on a noncommercial building in
Cortez
Cultural Resource Planning
1962.
The period of
significance is
1937, which is the
construction date
of the church.
Page 45
Local Register
Cortez maintains a local register of historic places through the City’s Historic Preservation
Program. The process for listing a property on the local register is included in section 6.19 of
the City’s Land Use Code. The Code states that structures must be at least fifty years old and
meet at least one of the criteria for architectural, social or geographic/environmental
significance to be considered for listing. A property could be exempt from the age standard if it
is found to be exceptionally important in other significant criteria. The Code states the
following.
Historic sites shall meet one of the following:
a. Architectural.
1. Exemplifies specific elements of an architectural style or period.
2. Example of the work of an architect or builder who is recognized for expertise
nationally, state-wide, regionally, or locally.
3. Demonstrates superior craftsmanship or high artistic value.
4. Represents an innovation in construction, materials or design.
5. Represents a built environment of a group of people in an era of history.
6. Pattern or grouping of elements representing at least one of the above criteria.
7. Is a significant historic remodel
b. Social.
1. Site of historic event that had an effect upon society.
2. Exemplifies cultural, political, economic or social heritage of the community.
3. Association with a notable person or the work of a notable person.
c. Geographic/environmental.
1. Enhances sense of identity of the community.
2. An established and familiar natural setting or visual feature of the community.
Prehistoric and historic archaeological sites shall meet one or more of the following:
a. Architectural.
1. Exhibits distinctive characteristics of a type, period or manner of construction.
2. A unique example of structure.
b. Cultural
1. Potential to make an important contribution to the knowledge of the area's
history or prehistory.
2. An association with an important event in the area's development.
3. An association with a notable person(s) or the work of a notable person(s).
4. A typical example/association with a particular ethnic group.
5. A unique example of an event in local history.
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 46
c. Geographic/environmental.
1. Geographically or regionally important.
All properties will be evaluated for their physical integrity using the following criteria (a property
need not meet all of the following criteria):
a. Shows character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or
cultural characteristics of the community, region, state, or nation.
b. Retains original design features, materials and/or character.
c. Original location or same historic context after having been moved.
d. Has been accurately reconstructed or restored based on documentation.
Unlike the State and National Registers, the local register provides an opportunity for the local
community to consider the historic significance of a property within the very specific context
and circumstances of the history of the community. Sometimes this narrower context allows for
greater flexibility in applying criteria and considering integrity issues. For instance, a
community may only have one building built in a particular architectural style, and it may be
desirable to recognize that property by placing it on the local historic register, even if the
building’s historic integrity is partially compromised.
Two properties in the survey area, the Lamb Building (aka the Cortez Cultural Center) and St.
Barnabas of the Valley Episcopal Church are already listed on the local Cortez register.
Seven additional properties in this survey appear to be clearly eligible for the local register.
They maintain at least a minimal level of integrity and exhibit architectural, cultural, political,
economic or social heritage of the community. They include the Ertel Funeral Home, which is
already listed on the National and State Registers, the previously mentioned Mon-Do Title
Company Building and the Mexirado Distributing Company Warehouse. The other four
properties are listed in Table 4 on the next page.
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 47
Table 4: Properties Eligible for the Local Register
Cortez Survey Phase III
The Pops Farmer Home at 41
North Beech Street, site #
5MT21909, constructed in 1933
This property is significant
under Criterion b. Social for
its long term association
with local prominent
pharmacist, Pops Farmer.
The Calkins/Merlo house and
offices at 202 West North Street,
site # 5MT21915, constructed in
1909
This property is significant
under Criterion b. Social for
its long term association
with two prominent Cortez
citizens, Dr. Royal Calkins
(1909-1961) and attorneys
Sam and Grace Merlo, who
owned and had their
practice at this property
from 1969-1995.
The Johnson/Hartley Home at 34
North Ash, site # 5MT21919,
constructed in 1933
This property is significant
under Criterion b. Social for
its long term association
with Dr. and Mrs. E. E.
Johnson, who built and ran
the first and hospital in
Cortez.
The Bertwell Home at 121 North
Beech, site # 5MT21922,
constructed in 1937
This property is significant
under Criterion a.
Architectural as a very good
example of Tudor Revival
architecture.
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 48
Recommendations
The survey is an important step in obtaining and organizing data about the historic buildings
within the original townsite in the transitional area between residential Montezuma Avenue
and commercial Main Street. This information will help in evaluations of the relative historic
importance of a property in Cortez. Many property owners enthusiastically responded to
Phases I and II of this survey, resulting in a number of owner-initiated property nominations to
the local historic register, and very strong support to establish a local historic district on part of
Montezuma Avenue. The local historic district nomination is moving forward through the City
of Cortez process. The City should reach out to and encourage property owners to pursue
nominations by continuing the contacts made by the Historic Preservation Commission with
individual property owners as follow up to this survey.
The City of Cortez has used survey data from previous work for interpretive and planning
activities, including a walking tour program. Continuation of the walking tours and other public
education and planning programs, using the data collected in the survey, is strongly
recommended. Examples of interpretive programs include plaques, walking tours, brochures
and promotional materials for commercial properties.
The City may also want to consider updating and revising its historic preservation plan. A
historic preservation plan is a useful tool in developing and prioritizing historic preservation
program work and to establish City policies regarding the private and public sector
development of historic properties, and the City’s role in heritage tourism. Cortez has recently
received funding to review and consider community planning documents. The Preservation Plan
should be part of this effort. It can include the newly determined historic contexts and expand
on the history of Cortez, providing a stronger context for decision making and goal setting.
Efforts to encourage property owners to place their historically important properties on the
local register increase the opportunities to preserve these important historic resources.
Incentives for properties on the local register could include:
 Recognition in a plaque or walking tour
 Technical assistance in applying for grants or preservation tax credits
 Assistance through local preservation specialty contractor’s workshops
 Locally funded grant programs oriented toward preservation issues
These efforts could help address the most apparent threat to the community’s historic
resources, which appears to be a need for additional information on local history and local
assistance programs.
Upcoming surveys should continue the effort to inventory all of the buildings located within the
original townsite. A review of the buildings located along Main Street will also determine the
feasibility of a historic commercial district.
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 49
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 50
Bibliography
Animas Museum photograph collection. Animas Museum. Durango, Colorado
Colorado State Census 1885 Census. Microfilm in the files of the Fort Lewis College Center of
Southwest Studies, Durango, Colorado.
Colorado State Archives. County Records File. Denver, Colorado.
Daughters of the American Revolution, Sarah Platt Decker Chapter. Pioneers of the San Juan
Country. Reprint of Volumes I-IV in One Edition. Bountiful, Utah: Family History
Publishers, 1998.
Durango News, Inc. San Juan Basin Directory. Durango News Inc.: Durango, 1932.
Freeman, Ira S. A History of Montezuma County. Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Publishing
Company, 1958.
Gilpin, Dennis. Animas-La Plata Project Volume V—Miners, Railroaders and Ranchers.
Phoenix, Arizona: SWCA. 2007.
Gomez, Arthur R. Quest For the Golden Circle, The Four Corners and the Metropolitan West.
Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, 1991.
Hall, Frank. History of Colorado Volume 4. Chicago, Illinois: Blakely Printing Company,1895.
Head, June. Interviews with Jill Seyfarth on the telephone and in Cortez at various times
between September 1, 2011 and May 15, 2012 on various aspects of Cortez history and
the individuals who lived on Montezuma Avenue.
.”Walking Down Montezuma”. Walking tour brochure: Cortez, Colorado: Cortez Historic
Preservation Board, 2010.
Horn, Jonathon C. Landscape-Llevel History of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Denver, Colorado: Bureau of Land Management, 1984.
Husband, Michael B. Colorado Plateau County Historic Context. Denver, Colorado: Colorado
Historical Society, 1984.
Kendrick, Gregory D editor. The River of Sorrows; The History of the Lower Dolores River Valley.
Accessed on line on July 21, 2011 at
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/rmr/river_of_sorrows/index.htm.
United States Department of the Interior, 1981.
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 51
Lipe, William, Mark Varien and Richard Wilshusen. Colorado Prehistory: A Context for the
Southern Colorado River Basin. Denver, Colorado: Colorado Council of Professional
Archaeologists, 1999.
Montezuma County Assessor’s and Clerk’s and Treasurer’s Office Records. Cortez, Colorado.
Montezuma County Historical Society. Great Sage Plain to Timberline: Our Pioneer History
Volumes I-III. Cortez, Colorado: Montezuma County Historical Society. 2009, 2010, 2011.
Montezuma Journal Newspaper.
O’Rourke, Paul M. Frontiers in Transition: A History of Southwestern Colorado. Denver,
Colorado: Bureau of Land Management, 1982.
Pearce, Sarah J. and Wilson, Merrill A. A Guide to Colorado Architecture Second Edition. Denver,
Colorado: Colorado Historical Society, 2003 and updated online at
http://oahp.historycolorado.org/guides/fieldguide/fieldindex.htm.
Seyfarth, Jill. Historic Building Survey of Montezuma Avenue, Cortez, Colorado, 2012. Durango,
Colorado, Cultural Resource Planning, 2012.
Skinner, A.K. San Juan Basin Directory. Durango, Colorado: A.K. Skinner Publishers, 1921.
Schwindt, Vila; Janet Weeth and Dale Davidson. Cortez. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia
Publishing, 2011.
Southwestern Cowbelles. Pert Near Never Got Nowhere: A Collection of History Compiled by the
Southwestern Cowbelles, Mostly True. Cortez, Colorado:Southwestern Cowbelles, 1979.
Ubbeholde, Carl; Benson, Maxine; and Smith, Duane A. A Colorado History 7th ed. Revised.
Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing. 1997.
Van Cleave, Nathaniel M. The Vine and the Branches: A History of the International Church of
the Foursquare Gospel. Creation House Publishing: Lake Mary, Florida, 2014.
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 52
Appendix
Table A1-Previously Recorded Sites Located Near The Survey Area
Table A2-Sites surveyed in Phases I and II
Table A3-Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by street address
Table A4-Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by site number
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 53
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 54
Table A1 Previously Recorded Sites Located Near the Survey Area
STATE ID #
BUILDING NAME
SITE TYPE ADDRESS STATUS
5MT.11979
MONTEZUMA VALLEY NATIONAL
BANK~BASIN INDUSTRIAL BANK
Historic
5MT.12686
TROPHY'S T-SHIRTS
Historic
5MT.12687
CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE
Historic
5MT.12688
SWEENEY TURNER INSURANCE
COMPANY
Historic
5MT.12689
MONTEZUMA COUNTY
COURTHOUSE
Historic
5MT.12690
EAGLE AND ROOST
Historic
5MT.12691
BUFFALO ICE CREAM COMPANY
Historic
5MT.12692
EL GRANDE CAFE
Historic
5MT.12693
FIESTA THEATER
Historic
5MT.12694
BRU'S HOUSE OF COLOR
Historic
5MT.12695
QUALITY BOOKSTORE
Historic
5MT.12696
BELGIAN QUALITY BAKERY
Historic
5MT.12697
CALKINS SCHOOL
Historic
5MT.12698
J.C. PENNEY BUILDING
Historic
5MT.12699
NU-WAY WESTERN WEAR
Historic
5MT.12700
HOMESTEADERS RESTAURANT
Historic
5MT.12701
MCCABE LAW OFFICE
Historic
5MT.13804
PINON PROJECT ANNEX BUILDING
Historic
5MT.13805
PINON CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Historic
5MT.13822
WESCH RESIDENCE~PRAIRIE MESA
ESTATES
Historic
5MT.13868
MONTEZUMA VALLEY IRRIGATION
COMPANY OFFICE~COLORADO
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
OFFICE
CORTEZ LATERAL - SEGMENT
Historic
MONTEZUMA VALLEY NATIONAL
BANK BUILDING AND STORE
BUILDING~SECOND TIME FASHIONS
Historic
5MT.17099.2
5MT.19093
Cortez Survey Phase III
2 E. MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
44 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
25 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
48 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
109 W MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
40 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
30 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
28 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
23 W MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
37 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
40 W MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
44 W MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
121 FIRST ST.
E., CORTEZ
20 W MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
33 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
45 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
22 E MAIN,
CORTEZ
105 W
ARBECAM
AVE., CORTEZ
Listed on the State Register
300 N ELM ST.,
CORTEZ
604 1/2 E.
2ND ST.,
CORTEZ
722 E. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
Officially not eligible>Field not
eligible
Officially not eligible
Historical
Archaeology>Historic
Cultural Resource Planning
2 - 8 E MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Field not eligible
Officially not eligible>Field not
eligible
Officially not eligible
Does not support eligibility of
entire linear resource>Field
needs data
Listed on National Register>
Page 55
Table A1 Previously Recorded Sites Located Near the Survey Area (cont.)
STATE ID #
BUILDING NAME
SITE TYPE ADDRESS STATUS
5MT.19754
Historical Archaeology
Officially not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field eligible
5MT.6904
HAVRAN CLEANERS>FARM BUREAU
INSURANCE
Historic
5MT.6905
POST OFFICE - CORTEZ>EARTH SONG
HAVEN
Historic
5MT.6906
WILSON BUILDINGZ>STONEBLOCK
BUILDING
Historic
5MT.6908
RICO BUILDING>MCEWEN HALL
Historic
5MT.6909
BOZMAN GARAGE>ANTONIO'S
MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Historic
5MT.6910
BELMONT BAR BUIDLING>PIONEER
PRRINTING
Historic
5MT.6911
KENYON PONTIAC>CUTWOOD
WHOLESALE FOOD CLUB
Historic
5MT.6912
MONTEZUMA REALTY>RAUH
INSURANCE COMPANY
Historic
5MT.6913
WESTERN AUTO BUILDING>JERRY'S
SPORTING GOODS
Historic
5MT.6914
DUNCAN BEAUTY SHOP>CORTEZ
TRAVEL
Historic
5MT.6915
WALKER MERCANTILE>VALLEY
TOWERS
Historic
5MT.6916
MOFFITT DRUG BUILDING>TOGGERY
Historic
5MT.6917
BEN FRANKLIN STORE>THE DREAM
CATCHER
Historic
5MT.6918
JC PENNEY BUILDING
Historic
5MT.6919
MONTEZUMA REALTY AND
TITLE>COMMNET CELLULAR
Historic
5MT.6920
CORTEZ NEWSPAPER
BUILDING>SENTINEL JOURNAL
BUILDING
CORTEZ MOTOR SALES>MARSELL
MOTOES
Historic
Historic
145 E MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
Field not eligible>Officially not
eligible>Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
5MT.6922
BROWN PALACE HOTEL
Historic
Field not eligible
5MT.6923
Resurveyed as part of this
project
5MT.6924
Resurveyed as part of this
project
MONTEZUMA CREAMERY
Historic
E. R. LAMB & CO. MERCANTILE>C.U.
CORTEZ CENTER
Historic
243 E. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
24 N.
CHESTNUT,
CORTEZ
25 N. MARKET
ST., CORTEZ
5MT.6925
Resurveyed as part of this
project
5MT.6926
Resurveyed as part of this
project
ERTEL FUNERAL HOME
Historic
42 N. MARKET
ST., CORTEZ
MEXIRADO OIL COMPANY
Historic
101 N.
MARKET,
CORTEZ
5MT.6921
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
48 W. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
34 W. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
2-16 W MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
34 E. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
104 E. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
110 E. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
310 E. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
17 W. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
15 W. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
9-11 W. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
1 W MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
1 E. MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
15 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
21 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
29-31 E. MAIN
ST., CORTEZ
37 E MAIN ST.,
CORTEZ
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Field not eligible>Recommendation
of denial of listing by State Register
Review Board>Officially Eligible for
the State Register>Field eligible
Listed on National Register
Field not eligible>Field not
eligible
Page 56
Table A2 Sites surveyed in Phases I and II
Site Number
5MT19929
5MT19930
5MT19931
5MT19932
5MT19933
5MT19934
5MT19935
5MT19936
5MT19937
5MT19938
5MT19939
5MT19940
5MT19941
5MT19942
5MT19943
5MT19944
5MT19945
5MT19946
5MT19947
5MT19948
5MT19949
5MT19950
5MT19951
5MT19952
5MT19953
5MT19954
Cortez Survey Phase III
Street Number
48
18
206
130
142
116
112
102
219
213
205
147
137
129
121
101
124
45
37
33
23
9
144
145
207
211
Street Name
Property Name
On National
Register?
W Montezuma
W Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
N Beech
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
N. Market Street
N. Elm Street
W Montezuma
W Montezuma
McNeill Home
Garrison Home
Moffitt Home
Blackmer Home
Finnell Home
Omo Home
None
Nerhood Home
Swank Home
Francis Griswold Home
Fred Johnson Home
Soens Home
None
Manaugh Home
Downey Home
Henry Home
None
Lenz Home
Ertel Duplex
Thorpe
Bryce Home
Vencil Home
None
Havran Home
Ray Home
Bernard/Agnes Havran Hme
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 57
Table A2 Sites surveyed in Phases I and II continued
Site Number
Street Number
Street Name
Property Name
Dr. A.F. Bresee Home
Hicks Home
None
Pharo Home
None
None
None
Hutchinson Home
Crowson Home
Watson Home
Wesch Home
Gibson Home
St. Margaret Mary Catholic
Church
None
Harrison Home
CW Smith Home
Carl Gregory Home
Helen Duncan Home
Wm and Dona Conoley Home
Rauh Home, Warren Home
Clever Rental
Clever Home
Glenn Home
Bessie Wilson Home
Henry and Idonna Wilson
5MT19955
5MT19956
5MT19957
5MT19958
5MT19959
5MT19960
5MT19961
5MT19962
5MT19963
5MT19964
5MT19965
5MT19966
5MT19967
215
219
140
218
212
208
219
146
116
38
30
2
28
W Montezuma
W Montezuma
N Linden
W Montezuma
W Montezuma
W Montezuma
N. Elm Street
W Montezuma
W. Montezuma
W. Montezuma
W. Montezuma
W. Montezuma
E Montezuma
5MT19968
5MT20052
5MT20194
5MT20195
5MT20196
5MT20197
5MT20198
5MT20199
5MT20200
5MT20201
5MT20202
5MT20203
40
48
225
237
245
305
323
137
403
429
435
443
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
N Madison
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 58
On the
National
Register?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Table A2 Sites surveyed in Phases I and II continued
5MT20204
5MT20205
5MT20206
5MT20207
5MT20208
5MT20209
5MT20210
5MT20211
5MT20212
5MT20213
5MT20214
5MT20215
5MT20216
5MT20217
5MT20218
5MT20219
5MT20220
5MT20221
5MT20222
5MT20223
5MT20224
5MT20225
5MT20226
5MT20227
5MT20228
5MT20229
5MT20230
5MT20231
Cortez Survey Phase III
537
539
230
242
206
312
316
324
340
346
402
438
440
444
502
510
516
524
538
540
546
620
104
112
114
101
123
102
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
N Washington
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
E Montezuma
N Ash
N Ash
N Ash
N Ash
N Ash
E North Street
Cultural Resource Planning
Dennison Home
Harp Home
Seth Englehart Home, Reid Home
William J. Blatchford Home
Scott Home
Conoley Home
Claycomb
Wilber Floral and Home
Willis Home
Dunham Home
Palmer Home
Kemper School
Leo & Augusta Grasse Home
Honacker Home
Pease Apartments
Davis H. Saylor Home
Guy Harrison Home
Page 59
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Table A2 Sites surveyed in Phases I and II continued
5MT20232
5MT20233
5MT20234
Cortez Survey Phase III
112 E North Street
120 E North Street
143 E North Street
Cultural Resource Planning
Garland Home
I.O. Miller Family Home
Page 60
No
No
No
Table A3 Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by street address
Street
Number
Street Name
Site
Number
Field
#
Property Name
Eligible for
Local
Register?
34
35
44
18
25
27
41
121
122
17
N. Ash St
N. Ash St
N. Ash St
N. Beech St
N. Beech St
N. Beech St
N.Beech St
N. Beech St
N. Beech St
N. Chestnut St
5MT21919
5MT21920
5MT21908
5MT21906
5MT21924
5MT21923
5MT21909
5MT21922
5MT21921
5MT21928
T 15
T 16
T4
T2
T 20
T 19
T5
T 18
T 17
T 26
24
33
44
33
121
38
114
122
25
30
42
100
101
111
127
N. Chestnut St
N. Chestnut St
N. Chestnut St
N. Elm St
N. Elm St
N. Linden St
N. Linden St
N. Linden St
N. Market St
N. Market St
N. Market
N. Market St
N. Market St
N. Market St
N. Market St
5MT6923
5MT21929
5MT21913
5MT21931
5MT21930
5MT21918
5MT21932
5MT21910
5MT6924
5MT21925
5MT6925
5MT21907
5MT6926
5MT21926
5MT21927
T 25
T 27
T9
T 29
T 28
T 14
T32
T 30
T 22
T 21
T 31
T3
T6
T 23
T 24
Johnson/Hartley Home
McClure House
House
New Look Paint Center and Body Works
Vacant warehouse
Moreno House
Pops Farmer Home
Bertwell Home
House
Post Office
Grace Fellowship Evangelical Free Church (formerly
Cortez Creamery)
Minnie Johnson Home
Congregational Church of the Foursquare Gospel
Cortez Medical Clinic
Calkins Home
Town and Country Furnishings
House
Eclipse Beauty Salon
Cortez Cultural Center (aka Lamb Building)
Flower Cottage
Ertel Funeral Home
1st Baptist Church
Mexirado Distributing
Harp Building
Empire Electric Office
Cortez Survey Phase III
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 61
Eligible for the
National
Register?
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Eligible for
the
State
Register?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes on it
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes on it
No
Yes A
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes on it
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Table A3 Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by street address (cont.)
Street
Street Name
Number
221
12
20
110
202
208
210
236
E. North St
W. North St
W. North St
W. North St
W. North St
W. North St
W. North St
W. North St
Site
Number
Field #
Property Name
Eligible for
Local
Register?
5MT21905
5MT21911
5MT21912
5MT21914
5MT21915
5MT21916
5MT21933
5MT21917
T1
T7
T8
T 10
T 11
T 12
T33
T 13
Roberts House
Warehouse
Planned Parenthood
St. Barnabas of the Valley Episcopal Church
Calkins/ Merlo House
No
No
No
Yes on it
Yes
No
No
Yes
Cortez Survey Phase III
Mon-Do Title Company
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 62
Eligible for
the
State
Register?
No
No
No
yes C
No
No
No
Yes C
Eligible for the
National
Register?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes C
Table A4 Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by site number.
Site
Number
Street
Number
Street
Property Name
5MT6923
5MT6924
5MT6925
5MT6926
5MT21905
5MT21906
5MT21907
5MT21908
5MT21909
5MT21910
5MT21911
5MT21912
24
25
42
101
221
18
100
44
41
122
12
20
N. Chestnut St
N. Market St
N. Market
N. Market St
E. North St
N. Beech St
N. Market St
N. Ash St
N.Beech St
N. Linden St
W. North St
W. North St
5MT21913
5MT21914
5MT21915
5MT21916
5MT21917
5MT21918
5MT21919
5MT21920
5MT21921
5MT21922
5MT21923
5MT21924
5MT21925
44
110
202
208
236
38
34
35
122
121
27
25
30
N. Chestnut St
W. North St
W. North St
W. North St
W. North St
N. Linden St
N. Ash St
N. Ash St
N. Beech St
N. Beech St
N. Beech St
N. Beech St
N. Market St
Cortez Survey Phase III
Grace Fellowship Evangelical Free Church
(formerly Cortez Creamery)
Cortez Cultural Center (aka Lamb Building)
Ertel Funeral Home
Mexirado Distributing
Roberts House
New Look Paint Center and Body Works
1st Baptist Church
House
Pops Farmer Home
Eclipse Beauty Salon
Warehouse
Planned Parenthood
Congregational Church of the Foursquare
Gospel
St. Barnabas of the Valley Episcopal Church
Calkins/ Merlo House
Mon-Do Title Company
Town and Country Furnishings
Johnson/Hartley Home
McClure House
House
Bertwell Home
Moreno House
Vacant warehouse
Flower Cottage
Cultural Resource Planning
Eligible for the Eligible for the
Local Register? State
Register?
Eligible for the
National
Register?
No
Yes on it
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Yes on it
Yes A
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes on it
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes on it
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
yes C
No
No
Yes C
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes C
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Page 63
Table A4 Sites surveyed in Phase III (2014-2015) listed by site number continued.
Site
Number
5MT21926
5MT21927
5MT21928
5MT21929
5MT21930
5MT21931
5MT21932
5MT21933
Street
Number
111
127
17
33
121
33
114
210
Cortez Survey Phase III
Street
Property Name
N. Market St
N. Market St
N. Chestnut St
N. Chestnut St
N. Elm St
N. Elm St
N. Linden St
W. North St
Harp Building
Empire Electric Office
Post Office
Minnie Johnson Home
Calkins Home
Cortez Medical Clinic
House
Cultural Resource Planning
Eligible for the Eligible for the
Local Register? State
Register?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Page 64
Eligible for the
National
Register?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Cortez, Montezuma Avenue Survey
Cultural Resource Planning
Page 65